Ramadan and Eid in Syria: Iftar, the Mesaharati, Ma'moul and Eid Swings

If your trip falls in Ramadan you will see a different Syria: quiet, slow days, then a moment when everything stops at the sunset call to prayer, and long, lively nights until the pre-dawn meal. These are the key traditions of the month and of Eid.

Iftar

At the call to prayer the family breaks the fast with dates and water or juice, then soup — usually lentil — then the full table: fattoush, stuffed vegetables, kibbeh, chicken with rice. Ramadan drinks are always there: qamar al-din, tamarind, licorice and jallab. Read what Syrians drink.

Ramadan sweets

• Ma'rouk: sweet bread filled with dates or chocolate, only seen in Ramadan.
• Qatayef: small pancakes filled with walnuts or cream, fried or baked.
• Na'em: fried crisp sheets with grape molasses.

The mesaharati

About two hours before dawn the mesaharati walks the lanes beating his drum and calling people by name: "Sleeper, wake and praise the Eternal — get up for your suhoor!" An old tradition still alive in many neighbourhoods; at the end of the month he knocks on doors for his Eid gift.

Ramadan nights

After the evening prayers, Old Damascus, its souqs and cafés fill up until dawn. It is the loveliest time to walk through al-Hamidiyeh and around the Umayyad Mosque — lights, decorations and people everywhere.

Eid al-Fitr

In the days before Eid, homes are busy baking ma'moul and ka'ak. On Eid morning there is prayer, then visits to relatives and neighbours; children in new clothes collect their eidiyyeh money and gather at the Eid swings and fairground wheels in the squares.

Tips for visitors

• Avoid eating, drinking and smoking in public during the day out of respect.
• Museums and sites often keep shorter hours in Ramadan — check times.
• Hotel and tourist restaurants usually stay open. In the evening restaurants fill up, so book your iftar table in advance.
• At Eid, the resorts and the coast fill up — book your stay early.