This year’s Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and prayer, will come to a close with Eid al-Fitr, the festival of the breaking of the fast, on June 14. For the past month, Muslims around the world have refrained from eating, drinking, smoking, and having sex during daylight hours in order to focus on spirituality, good deeds, and charity. Collected here, a look at the traditions, ceremonies, food, and community of Ramadan 2018.
Images From Ramadan 2018
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![]()
Read moreAn Afghan Muslim man prays during the holy month of Ramadan on the Wazir Akbar Khan hilltop in Kabul on May 30, 2018. #
Wakil Kohsar / AFP / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreIn Cliffside Park, New Jersey, Muslims gather at an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) in the street, organized by Bergen Diyanet Mosque and Cultural Center, on June 11, 2018. #
Atilgan Ozdil / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA baker pours a ladle of syrup on slices of baklavas at a Turkish bakery in Gaziantep, Turkey, on on May 21, 2018. Sweet pastry is a popular treat at iftar during the Islamic month of Ramadan. #
Mehmet Akif Parlak / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA view of Sabanci Central Mosque during the first Tarawih prayer on the eve of Ramadan, on May 15, 2018, in Turkey's Adana province. #
Burak Milli / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![]()
Read moreWomen from the Hui Muslim community pray over food before breaking their fast during Ramadan at the Nanxiapo Mosque in Beijing, China, on June 8, 2018. Islam in China dates back to the 10th century as the legacy of Arab traders who ventured from the Middle East along the ancient Silk Road. Of an estimated 23 million Muslims in China, roughly half are Hui, who are ethnically Chinese and speak Mandarin. China's constitution provides for Islam as one of five "approved" religions in the officially atheist country, though the government enforces severe limits. Worship is permitted only at state-sanctioned mosques and proselytizing in public is illegal. #
Kevin Frayer / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA child with kohl eyeliner is photographed at the Great Mosque of Sana'a on May 23, 2018, in Sanaa, Yemen. Wearing eyeliner is a tradition among some Muslim men, worn as a sign of devotion during Ramadan. #
Mohammed Hamoud / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreA Palestinian youth waves a sparkler next a mosque in Gaza City on May 16, 2018, as the faithful prepare for the start of Ramadan. #
Mohammed Abed / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreMuslim devotees read the Quran part of the recitation and response ("mukabele") tradition, which is carried on after dawn midday prayers, at the Somuncu Baba Mosque in the Darende district of Malatya, Turkey, on May 18, 2018. #
Ayhan Iscen / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![]()
Read morePeople walk at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi as Muslims start the holy fasting month of Ramadan on May 16, 2018. #
Karim Sahib / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreMuslim worshipers offer prayers on the first Friday of Ramadan in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on May 18, 2018. #
A.M. Ahad / AP -
![]()
Read morePalestinians visit Al Zawiya market during Ramadan in Gaza City, Gaza, on May 19, 2018. #
Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreFriends pose for a photo as they prepare to break their fast on the beach during Ramadan, on Rabat Beach in Morocco on June 9, 2018. Stocked with food and drinks, local families and friends swarm daily to the beach during Ramadan to enjoy the Atlantic breeze and take in the ocean view and, when the day’s fasting is declared over, share in the iftar. #
Mosa'ab Elshamy / AP -
![]()
Read moreIn Dearborn, Michigan, a house stands decorated for Ramadan on May 18, 2018. Southeastern Michigan has one of the largest Middle Eastern populations in the United States, and Dearborn has a large population of Iraqi, Lebanese, and Yemeni families. #
Anthony Lanzilote / Getty -
![]()
Read moreImam Husham Al Husainy leads prayer during Ramadan at the Karbala Islamic Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on May 18, 2018. #
Anthony Lanzilote / Getty -
![]()
Read morePeople walk in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Turkey, on May 16, 2018, on the first day of Ramadan. #
Emrah Gurel / AP -
![]()
Read moreIndonesian Muslim women take selfies after praying at the Baiturrahman mosque in Banda Aceh on May 24, 2018. #
Chaideer Mahyuddin / AFP / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreIn Washington, D.C., men pray before iftar in Lafayette Square on June 6, 2018. The White House was hosting an iftar at the same time. #
Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA Pakistani volunteer serves iftar food to Muslim devotees preparing to break their fast at the Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi on May 17, 2018. #
Aamir Qureshi / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA Yemeni man prepares fried "sambusa" or samosa, during Ramadan in the capital Sanaa on May 25, 2018. #
Mohammed Huwais / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreMuslim women offer Maghrib, sunset prayers, during an immigration rally and iftar during the month of Ramadan outside ICE's New York field office at Foley Square in Manhattan, New York, on May 23, 2018. #
Amr Alfiky / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreEgyptian Muslims perform evening prayers called Tarawih inside Al Sultan Hassan mosque in the old Islamic area of Cairo, Egypt, on May 20, 2018. #
Amr Dalsh / Reuters -
-
![]()
Read moreA volunteer sprays a boy with water to cool him down as he queues outside a charity food-distribution center for iftar in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 20, 2018. #
Khaled Abdullah / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreMuslims pray and gather around the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque during Ramadan in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on May 23, 2018. #
Faisal Nasser / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreMuslims touch the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Mecca on May 23, 2018. #
Faisal Nasser / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreA Muslim girl takes selfies at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, on May 18, 2018. #
Willy Kurniawan / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreA group of people break their fast on an old fortress overlooking the historic center of Sarajevo, Bosnia, on May 16, 2018. #
Amel Emric / AP -
-
![]()
Read moreA variety of sweets are placed for sale at a roadside stall on the first day of Ramadan in Kolkata, India, on May 17, 2018. #
Bikas Das / AP -
![]()
Read moreAn aerial view of the retractable-roof dome at the Safa Mosque in Bursa, Turkey, on June 7, 2018. Safa Mosque has a convertible dome that can slide open, attracting more people at hot Ramadan Tarawih time. #
Ali Atmaca / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA Filipino Muslim boy prays on the top of a motorcycle cab during the second day of Ramadan outside a mosque in Baseco, Tondo City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on May 18, 2018. #
Romeo Ranoco / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreAn Acehnese boy recites the Koran in a mosque in Banda Aceh on May 17, 2018. #
Chaideer Mahyuddin / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreCommuters travel past plates of food, placed for passersby to break their fast during Ramadan, along a road in Karachi, Pakistan, on May 18, 2018. #
Akhtar Soomro / Reuters -
-
![]()
Read moreA man prepares traditional sweets to sell during Ramadan at a shop in Zaizon camp in Daraa, Syria, on May 23, 2018. #
Alaa Faqir / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreMuslims share bread just after sunset in the city of Le Havre, northwestern France, on May 18, 2018. #
Charly Triballeau / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read morePeople break their fast at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 16, 2018. #
Osman Orsal / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreA Muslim boy plays on the first Friday of Ramadan inside a mosque in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 18, 2018. #
Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreA Rohingya Muslim man offers prayers at a refugee camp in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 18, 2018. #
Niranjan Shrestha / AP -
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.