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Bidding farewell to the most beautiful month of all...

Ramadan 2009 around the world - Photo Gallery

On August 21st, hundreds of millions of Muslims started fasting for a month. They started to abstain from eating or drinking from dawn to dusk. They stand for hours in prayers each night to remember their Lord and express their gratitude to Him, seek His forgiveness and aspire to come closer to Him.On September 20th, the month of Ramadan ended welcoming Eid el Fitr.



Vendors selling food for breaking fast wait for their customers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Jakarta August 31, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Enny Nuraheni)

A Muslim man rests inside a mosque as he wait for iftar (breaking fast) in Dhaka August 29, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Andrew Biraj)

Muslims attend prayers on the eve of the first day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta August 21, 2009. Muslims around the world congregate for special evening prayers called "Tarawih" during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (Reuters,Supri)

A translator from the Ä°stanbul Municipality Health and Social Service Department, (l) uses sign language to translate a sermon delivered by the imam to hearing-impaired worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Ä°stanbul, Turkey, August 21, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Murad Sezer)


Worshippers attend Friday prayers at the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, in Ankara August 21, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Ãœmit BektaÅŸ)

Muslims attend prayers on the eve of the first day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta August 21, 2009. Muslims around the world congregate for special evening prayers called "tarawih" during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (Reuters, Supri)

The sunset is seen through an artillery on the tenth day of Ramadan in the city of Tripoli (Lebanon) August 30, 2009. (Reuters, Jamal Saidi)

Palestinians walk in front of the dome of the rock on the compound known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's old city August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Ammar Awad)

Muslims attend Friday prayers on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Beijing August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Grace Liang)

Muslim children read before attending Friday prayers at the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at a mosque in Beijing August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Grace Liang)

Worshippers attend Friday prayers at the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, in Ankara August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Ãœmit BektaÅŸ)

A boy carries a meal for iftar as he prepares to break fast in a giant tent on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Ä°stanbul August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Osman Orsal)

Muslim families eat as they break their fast in a giant tent on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in Ä°stanbul August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Osman Orsal)

The Merkez Mosque is seen on the first day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan in Duisburg August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Ina Fassbender)

A boy yawns during prayers on the eve of the first day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan at al Maerkaz al Islami Mosque in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Yusuf Ahmad)

A child stands among worshippers attending prayers on the eve of the first day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan at Al Maerkaz al Islami Mosque in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia August 21, 2009. (Reuters, Yusuf Ahmad)

A Jordanian Muslim man reads the Koran at Al-Husainy Mosque in Amman, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan August 22, 2009. (Reuters, Muhammad Hamed)

A boy holds sweets as he reads the Koran in a mosque during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Amman August 22, 2009. (Reuters, Ali Jarekji)

Indonesian Muslims wait to break their fast in Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan August 22, 2009. (Reuters, Supri)

A vendor with her goods travels on a rickshaw to a market on the eve of the start of the holy month of Ramadan in the old quarters of delhi August 22, 2009. Muslims scan the sky at night in search of the new moon to determine the start of Ramadan, the holiest month for the world's more than one billion Muslims, during which observant believers fast from dawn to dusk. Reuters, parth sanyal (india society religion)

Muslims walk into the compound known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's old city August 22, 2009. (Reuters, Baz Ratner)

Musicians from the El-Zawia Orchestra perform during Ramadan night's show at an international music festival in Tripoli, Libya, August 22, 2009, (Reuters, Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

A Bangladeshi vendor arranges sweets on the first day of Ramadan in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. (AP, Pavel Rahman)

Coal miners in Zonguldak province of Turkey enjoyed their first suhoor (pre-dawn meal before the day's fast begins) at their workplaces, several hundred meters underground on August 21st, 2009. Their first suhoor included tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cheese, olives and bread they had brought from home. (CIHAN, Abdullah Karabacak)

An Iraqi baker makes sweets in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. (AP, Hadi Mizban)

A man prays after reading the Koran at a mosque in Karachi on August 23, 2009. Pakistani Muslims observe the first day of Ramadan on Sunday, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. (Reuters, Akhtar Soomro)

Kashmiri Muslim offer prayer on a street in Srinagar, India, Monday, Aug.24, 2009. (AP, Mukhtar Khan)

A Pakistani boy arranges food stuff for 'iftar', a time to break the fast, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan. (AP, K.M.Chaudary)

A Filipino man embraces Saudi Sheikh Noah to celebrate his conversion to Islam before breaking fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Riyadh August 24, 2009. (Reuters, Fahad Shadeed)

Mahyas, the messages spelled out with lights strung between minarets, reflect the traditional aspect of Ramadan. In between the minarets of Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) in Istanbul, Turkey, "Know this month's [Holy Ramadan] worth" was written on August 21, 2009. (ZAMAN, Kürşat Bayhan)

a kashmiri Muslim woman prays outside the hazaratbal shrine as her children look on during the third day of the holy month of Ramadan in srinagar, india, tuesday, aug. 25, 2009. (AP, Dar Yasin)

Jordan's King Abdullah (c) performs umra, a mini pilgrimage, in the holy city of Mecca August 25, 2009. The umra can be performed at any time but is popular during Ramadan, which this year starts in August. (Reuters, Yousef Allan)

Lebanese Mohammed Fanas, 61, a dawn awakener or al musaharati in Arabic, lights his lantern as he prepares at his house to go out and beat on his drum to wake up Muslims for a meal before sunrise in the old streets, at the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, Lebanon, on early Wednesday Aug. 26, 2009. Al musaharati is an old profession on its way to extinction as people nowadays use the alarm clock. (AP, Mohammed Zaatari)

With the start of Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, who fast from dawn to sunset, fast-breaking (iftar) tents, with long lines of fasting people waiting to get in for iftar dinner, can be found in cities around Turkey. (Anadolu News Agency - Gökhan Gocukoğlu)

Muslim women pray as a girl sits inside Kashmir's Jamia Masjid during Ramadan in Srinagar August 26, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. (Reuters, Fayaz Kabli)

A Muslim woman reads the Koran before iftar, when Muslims break their fast, during the holy month of Ramadan at the historic Umayyad Mosque in old Damascus August 26, 2009. (Reuters, Khaled al-hariri)

Turkish Prime Minister visits houses and joins iftar dinners. He promotes new smoking ban by convincing smokers, having their promises and collecting last packet of cigarettes with the sign and phone number of its owner.

Fruit vendors set up their shop near the Charminar premises as they wait for Muslim devotees to break their fast at the end of a day, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. (AP, Mahesh Kumar A.)

Palestinian girls hold fireworks during the fifth day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Nablus, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009. (AP, Majdi Mohammed)

Egyptians break fast during iftar, as food is distributed for free to the poor during Ramadan, in Cairo August 27, 2009. (Reuters, Asmaa Waguih)

Shadows of Palestinian women are seen at Qalandiya checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Ramallah August 28, 2009, as they try to reach the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Reuters, Fadi Arouri)

The Turkish Red Crescent is traveling around the cities after Iftar dinner to prevent decline in blood donation in Turkey. (Cihan, Ä°brahim Tok)

Palestinian women stand in line as they wait to cross the Qalandia checkpoint on their way to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque for the holy fasting month of Ramadan, between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP, sebastian scheiner)

The Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque) is illuminated during the holy month of Ramadan in the old quarters of Delhi August 28, 2009. (Reuters, B Mathur)

A palestinian wearing a medical face mask prays on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan inside the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's old city August 28, 2009. (Reuters, Ammar Awad)

Kenyan Muslim raise their hands in prayers during the first Friday for the holy fasting month of Ramadan at the Masjid Noor Mosque, in Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. (AP, Sayyid Azim)

A Turkish woman is reciting Koran in Turkey (Anadolu News Agency - Sinan Gül)

With the start of Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims, who fast from dawn to sunset, fast-breaking (iftar) tents, with long lines of fasting people waiting to get in for iftar dinner, can be found in every corner of İstanbul and other cities around Turkey. Among the most favored activities organized in shopping centers during Ramadan are Sufi music performances, Karagöz and Hacivat shadow-puppet shows, storytelling and plays relating the tales of Nasreddin Hodja and performances by an Ottoman janissary band. (ZAMAN, Kürşat Bayhan)

A Turkish boy went to the barber and had the barber shave the words “Fast, be healthy” in his hair using a razor in Turkey. (Cihan)


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