• A worker cleans and sterilises the Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    A worker cleans and sterilises the Kaaba in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
  • People wearing protective face masks pray at the courtyard of the Eyup Sultan Mosque for the upcoming Ramadan, in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA
    People wearing protective face masks pray at the courtyard of the Eyup Sultan Mosque for the upcoming Ramadan, in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA
  • A Palestinian craftsman fashions a traditional "fanous" lantern, a decoration used to celebrate the start of Ramadan in a workshop in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
    A Palestinian craftsman fashions a traditional "fanous" lantern, a decoration used to celebrate the start of Ramadan in a workshop in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Workers clean and sterilise the roof of Kaaba at Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    Workers clean and sterilise the roof of Kaaba at Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
  • Iraqis shop for food ahead of the first day of Ramadan at the Shorjah market in central Baghdad, Iraq. EPA
    Iraqis shop for food ahead of the first day of Ramadan at the Shorjah market in central Baghdad, Iraq. EPA
  • Palestinian men ride a motorcycle while carrying a newly made traditional "fanous" lantern, a decoration used to celebrate the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
    Palestinian men ride a motorcycle while carrying a newly made traditional "fanous" lantern, a decoration used to celebrate the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • A Sunni Muslim cleric wearing a face mask uses a telescope to gaze while searching for the crescent moon, which if sighted would mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
    A Sunni Muslim cleric wearing a face mask uses a telescope to gaze while searching for the crescent moon, which if sighted would mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
  • A Sunni Muslim cleric uses a telescope to gaze while searching for the crescent moon, which if sighted would mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
    A Sunni Muslim cleric uses a telescope to gaze while searching for the crescent moon, which if sighted would mark the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, at the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
  • A Palestinian woman harvests wheat stalks in a field in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, before being prepared to be used in a soup during Ramadan. AFP
    A Palestinian woman harvests wheat stalks in a field in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, before being prepared to be used in a soup during Ramadan. AFP
  • People shop in preparation for Ramadan, in Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
    People shop in preparation for Ramadan, in Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo
  • Men in the back of a pickup truck disinfect the street outside the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
    Men in the back of a pickup truck disinfect the street outside the Abu Al Hanifa Al Numan mosque in the Adhamiya district of Iraq's capital Baghdad. AFP
  • A Palestinian boy seller showcases Chinese-made "fanous" lanterns in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
    A Palestinian boy seller showcases Chinese-made "fanous" lanterns in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Egyptian youths decorate their residential street in preparation for Ramadan in Cairo's Hadayek El Maadi district. AFP
    Egyptian youths decorate their residential street in preparation for Ramadan in Cairo's Hadayek El Maadi district. AFP
  • A Palestinian wearing a protective face mask sells knefeh (traditional Middle Eastern dessert) in the oldest knefeh store in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. AFP
    A Palestinian wearing a protective face mask sells knefeh (traditional Middle Eastern dessert) in the oldest knefeh store in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. AFP
  • A Palestinian vendor shows pickled grapes to customers in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. AFP
    A Palestinian vendor shows pickled grapes to customers in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. AFP
  • Palestinians shop in the Zawiya market ahead of Ramadan, in Gaza City. AP Photo
    Palestinians shop in the Zawiya market ahead of Ramadan, in Gaza City. AP Photo
  • A spices vendor recites the Quran as he waits for customers in Sanaa, Yemen. Reuters
    A spices vendor recites the Quran as he waits for customers in Sanaa, Yemen. Reuters
  • A Saudi seller pours dates into a box at his shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
    A Saudi seller pours dates into a box at his shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters
  • A vendor wearing a protective face mask serves customers at his shop in Amman, Jordan. Reuters
    A vendor wearing a protective face mask serves customers at his shop in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Heritage

Ramadan 2020: the holy month begins in the UAE

The holy month wlll begin on April 24

The National

April 23, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Ramadan, the month of daytime fasting, overnight festivity and communal prayer and giving, begins with the new moon this week.

However, this year it comes amid the coronavirus pandemic, and while many of the Islamic and cultural traditions that Ramadan brings will be affected by sitaution around Covid-19, some things will remain the same.

Follow our updates as the UAE's moon-sighting committee announces the start of Ramadan on April 24.

UAERamadan 2026