Ramadan 2022: Dubai's iftar cannons will be on the move

Mobile artillery will operate from 11 locations during the holy month

A cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is fired to mark the end of the day's fasting. Victor Besa / The National 

The cannon in front of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is fired daily during Ramadan to signal the sunset, which is when people can break their fast. Reem Mohammed / The National

The force has been following the custom since the early 1960s in Dubai. EPA

As the first day of Ramadan came to a close yesterday, Dubai Police followed a long tradition by firing their cannon to signal the end of fasting. Satish Kumar / The National

An old cannon stands outside Al Hisn Fort in Al Shuwaiheen, an old neighbourhood in Sharjah. The fort was built in the 1820s by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi. It is now open to the public as a museum. Sarah Dea / The National

Lebanese military fire a blank from a cannon a day prior to Ramadan to announce the holy month in Beirut, Lebanon, in April 2021. EPA

A Ramadan cannon is fired to mark the breaking of the fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at Giza district in the Egyptian capital Cairo on May 11, 2020. AFP

Dubai Police's iftar cannons that fire a single shot at sunset every day during Ramadan will operate from 11 locations during the holy month.

There are five fixed positions this year, at Atlantis the Palm, Burj Khalifa, Al Seef, Al Waheda at Century Mall Dubai, and in Hatta in front of Emirates Co-operative Society and Hatta Hill Park.

In addition, Dubai Police will have mobile cannons positioned at 11 areas sites in the emirate, alternating between locations.

For three days, iftar cannons will be stationed at Al Satwa, near the Big Mosque; Al Quoz, close to Al Anbiya’a Mosque; Al Lisaili — near Al Nahda National School — Lahbab, near Lahbab Community Park 1; Al Aweer, near Sheikh Hamdan Mosque; Al Khawaneej, near Ahmed Al Habbai Mosque, and Muhaisnah, near Abdul Rahim Mohammed Kti Mosque.

The following two days, cannons will be sited at Al Warqa, near the Big Mosque; Jebel Ali, near Ibn Battuta Mall and Ain Dubai; Nad Al Sheba, near Nad Al Sheba Park, and Al Barsha near Al Buhaira Park.

Tradition

Cannons, which can be heard as far as 10 kilometres away, have been a tradition in UAE since the 1960s.

Dubai Police also fire two rounds to announce the beginning and end of Ramadan.

“Dubai Police strive to keep the tradition alive as the shooting of cannons reminds people of the time they could end their fast,” said Maj Abdullah Al Amimi, commander of the artillery unit in the General Department of Protective Security and Emergency.

According to protocol, four officers are present at each firing. Two man the cannon, where one passes a blank cartridge and the other loads it.

Two officers remain at the back as guardians of the cannon and give orders. When it is time for iftar, an officer gives the order and the cannon is fired.

In Sharjah, firing of cannons typically takes place at nine locations every year. During the coronavirus outbreak, this was restricted to the Al Majaz Waterfront. It has not been announced if all cannons will return to their traditional positions.

Every year, Sharjah TV broadcasts the firing of cannons as part of a daily live show called The Iftar Cannon that runs throughout Ramadan.

In Ras Al Khaimah, cannons are positioned in Al Qawasim Corniche.

The UAE Armed Forces Command Support Unit announced that a number of ceremonial cannons, which entered service with Abu Dhabi Defence Force in 1970, will be present in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra, and also in the emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.