ramadan2018

Creating the Ramadan Spirit : The largest Iftaar picnic in Istanbul

My dream came true this year Alhamdulillah, when I got to visit Turkey’s famous Blue Mosque during the Muslim blessed month of Ramadan.

I have been living in Istanbul for 2 years, but have yet to experience this special month, or Eid in Istanbul as I have been travelling each year during this month. Before I moved here, my husband visited the vibrant Sultanahmet area during Ramadan, and spoke excitedly about the buzzing atmosphere there, and all my dreams about what Ramadan would be like in Turkey centred around this! So this year, when I could not feel much of a Ramadan vibe, or even see any change in lifestyle like people around me fasting or preparing for iftaar etc I couldnt help but feel a tad bit disappointed. I understood it was probably mostly down to the fact that I live in a largely secualr part of Istanbul (Besiktas). I knew that if I wanted to feel the Ramadan spirit, I would have to inject it myself, and that is what I have done by takig on ccertain iniatives like iftaar picnics and attending mass community iftaars (Read all about it in my previous posts).

One of the most exciting events for me in Ramadan this year though, was the iftaar picnic we had at the Blue Mosque, in Sultanahmet. We arrived at least an hour and a half before Maghrib salaah (dusk prayers), and already the large square, grassy patchy areas outside the musjid courtyard were filling up with what must be several thousand people by the end of the evening. There was a massive stage set up with a beautiful set for some speakers who were hosting a programme (Didn’t get what it was about as it was in Turkish!), but there were also some captivating salawat being read at one stage, which was lovely to listen to – or just have playing in the background as a treat to my subconscious mind!

We met a bunch of our friends there, and found a great spot to lay down our mats and our food to settle down before it was time to open our fast. The kids had a great time running around, enjoying being outside. there were lots of families, some really geared up with fold up tables and pots to cook Turkish cay (tea). It seemed like this was a regular event in any Turkish families calendar  – coming out here to break their fast together, in one of the most significant places in Istanbul- Sultanahmet square.

Before iftaar, I walked around the square to the pop up market that was set up – similar to the ‘Christmas Markets’ in most cities in Europe- this was Turkeys equivalent -the ‘Eid market‘ – rows of art/ craft stalls in wooden cabins as well as food stalls selling traditional Turkish Ramadan specialities such as “Ottoman sherbat” – a refreshing syrup drink made from a mix of flower extracts, fruits or herbs.

Eid Markets in Sultanahmet square

A few minutes before Maghrib (dusk prayers), we settled down on our picnic mats in the open air, under the dark sky and when we heard the beautiful adhaan from the Blue Mosque, opened our fasts together, passing around dates, water and fruit.

Largest iftaar picnic in Turkey

For the main meal, we shared around the dishes we brought from home (including being treated to delicious Indian food from a nearby restaurant!). Afterwards, we headed over to pray Maghrib salaah at the Blue Mosque. There was no jamaah (congregation)  for Maghrib (now expected- see my previous posts!) and it was quite crowded (also expected!) so we prayed in the courtyard which had rows of mats laid out. Theres just something about musjid courtyards that I love – like Masjid Nabawee in Madinah – always so peaceful to pray or relax in.

To end the evening we walked around again this time to find some Turkish cay (tea) and I tasted  “güllaç” for  the first time ( a Turkish dessert made with milk, pomegranate and a special kind of pastry especially consumed especially during Ramadan). By now the Taraweeh prayers had started and we could hear the beautiful recitation through the loudspeakers. Families still milled around, relaxing during the pleasant evening. The sad tradeoff we made when choosing to have iftaar in Sultanahmet was that we would have to commute back home (1 hour journey) during Taraweeh prayers jamaah, in order to get our little one home at a reasonable bed time, and therefore pray our salaah at home instead of together at the musjid.

Nonetheless, this was a spectacular experience and for me, Alhamdulillah truly captured the essence of Ramadan – sharing, unity, enjoying fulfilling our islamic obligations, being spiritual together – and a bonus – experiencing a new part of Istanbul life!

Injecting Ramadan spirit, one magical instance at a time,
M4D

Creating the Ramadan spirit: Iftaar Picnicking in Istanbul

Our days are busy in Ramadan, and especially with iftaar being quite late in Turkey during Summer, it’s usually difficult to meet up with people. However one weekend, my friends and I decided to arrange an iftaar together -and the idea was formed to join in the local Turkish community who partake in these “Iftaar picnics” at beautiful spots such as the Blue Mosque, or in our case we went to what seems to be everyone’s favourite musjid  – Suleymaniye Mescit in Fatih.

Suleymaniye Camii at Sunset

This fitted well into my little movement to generate a special atmosphere in Ramadan as I was missing the strong ramadan ‘vibe’,  living in a largely secular part of Istanbul (read my previous post),  So I was really excited to get out of the house, meet my friends and have a new experience in opening my fast!

We arrived at the musjid (cami/mosque) about an hour before Maghrib (dusk), as the sky was slowly turning darker on a pleasantly cool Summer’s evening. Our setup was simple, we brought along picnic mats and a dish of food each, and laid out our picnic in the beautiful open grassy area outside the cami  courtyard. The place was magical – entire families were sprawled on the open lawns with their iftaar ‘tables’ prepared, children were running around happy to be outdoors and meeting their friends. While we waited for the time to open our fast, we relaxed and chatted amongst ourselves, soaking in the atmosphere and really enjoying the spirit of everyone being at that place for the same purpose- to worship Allah in fasting in Ramadan.

I took a quick walk around to behind the cami, where another fascinating scene met my eyes- at the local restaurant located there, were rows of tables set up, with at least 400 people receiving the iftaar packs from a set menu that was offered that day. It was quite interesting to see such a large scale iftaar in progress, and everything seemed really well organised.

When the adhaan went off for Maghrib salaah (prayer), I went inside the musjid to pray. There were a handful of ladies only, and some kind women offered me dates to open my fast as well. This time, there was a jamaah for Maghrib salaah inside the musjid (read my post on what usually occurs in Turkey at maghrib during Ramadan) , however the loudspeaker was turned off and we couldn’t hear it – and therefore sadly couldn’t participate in prayers in congregation! Later I noticed some ladies who were standing closer to the males, not in the demarcated women section – and in this way they could join the jamaah- lucky them!

Each of my friends brought a super special dish to share in our iftaar -we were lucky to have xx, homemade scones, homemade South African chocolate cake and even a middle east speciality: ‘karak’ chai (milky, spiced tea) to finish. Being outside, in the fresh air and with enjoyable company was amazing – probably one of the best iftaar I have ever had in my life!

We were discussing how come the concept of these iftaar picnics donot seem to be present in other places- such as South Africa for instance. Some possible reasons we mulled over included the lack of safety meaning needing to be indoors when its dark, as well as the fact that musjid courtyards there aren’t exactly set up for socialising – they are usually just the means to enter the musjid so such kind of setup just wouldn’t work currently.

Anyway, it was an incredible experience, one that will stay with me forever I’m sure, and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

Injecting the ramadan spirit, one experience at a time
M4D

Creating the Ramadan Spirit : Attending a Mass Iftaar

As part of my quest to foster a stronger “Ramadan feel”, as especially where I live in the modern side of Istanbul I have found it somewhat absent, we attended a local mass iftaar.

The setup is that many of the local municipalities host these “mass iftaars” in the cami (musjid) courtyards, free of charge for the public. It is especially arranged for those who will not make it home in time for iftaar or are travelling, but anyone is welcome. I was really keen to attend one such event to understand a bit more of Turkish culture, and to join other Muslims in opening our fast together, a special time for everyone who is fasting.



Our local cami in Etiler has the tables set up daily and so one evening we bundled up the baby and hopped on a bus, just two stops away about half hour before Maghrib prayers. There was plenty of space available when we got there, so we seated ourselves, and then joined the long queues of people who were getting ready to collect their iftaar platters, and to settle down before the adhan (call to prayer) goes off, signalling the end of the fast – and giving us all permission to tuck in!

Part of the reason for wanting to attend one of these mass iftaars was that I knew due to language especially,  I would stand out as being different – and perhaps feel a bit uncomfortable and isolated. It made me realise that this is how it could be back home for others at public events where I am in my comfort zone – with familiar people that look like me, and speak the same language as me. I started questioning myself : 

How inviting am I to people that look or sound different? Or do I stick with my own friends and ignore others around me? Do I welcome new people to join me, and ask them questions to learn more about them? 

I was ashamed to realise that indeed I was not always aware or open to talking to new people or inviting them to join me. I possibly tended to keep with my own company, disregarding people who might be new to the event – and indeed new to Islam. How incredibly selfish of me! So for this reason, I wanted to be the “outsider” for once, to experience what it may feel like to be perhaps a bit isolated and not spoken to, in the hopes that this would inspire me to be more conscious of others at the next open event.

Attending the iftaar  that day were lots of families, children happily meeting their friends and queuing up to collect their iftaar platters by themselves – I can see this being an exciting outing for all, and only in Ramadan which probably made it extra special to wait for once a year.

 The iftaar platter we received was a neatly served up plate with mercimek (lentil soup), chicken, rice , fresh salad and also a sweet to finish. A really cute little presentation. On the table were dates and also bread and water to complete the meal. We took some homemade traditional South African Indian “sweetcorn bhajias” (deep fried fritter type savoury snacks) and left two servings on nearby ables to share with people seated there. I hope they liked it – I deliberately made it less spicy to cater for the unaccustomed Turkish tongue! 


It was a lovely evening, cool after a hot day and our little toddler enjoyed walking around the courtyard while we listened to some Quraanic recitation being played from the musjid, and then when it was time, we heard the adhan and began eating.  The food was decent- not the most incredible but that wasn’t what I was there for. Prior to iftaar my husband (who had attended these before), warned me that the portions weren’t huge, and he may need to supplement his iftaar with more afterwards at home, so I was prepared. However after having my portion of soup in addition to his platter, he was well satiated Alhamdulillah and so was I. There is always barakah in sharing iftaar, I just love this about Ramadan.

Our only social interactions that evening consisted of  a)  friendly gentlemen who was talking to my little girl and offered her some bread to occupy her when she was getting restless after being seated in her stroller for too long and b) a lady nearby who offered us hot pide to go with our soup (I was delighted to be noticed let alone anything else!) I was amazed how after living for one and half years in Etiler, I didn’t– recognise a single face- where were all these people coming from?!



The jamaah (congregation) for Maghrib prayers is weird – thats the only way I can describe it! because there isn’t really one large jamaah as you have at other salaahs. Instead, people complete their entire iftaar/supper and then go to pray Maghrib salaah inside the musjid. This means that you could join a small jamaah for Maghrib if you are lucky – or like us, just pray by yourself. This has consistently been the case in several musjids either my husband or I have been to. See, weird right?!

I really enjoyed my first mass iftaar in Istanbul. It reminded me of simple days growing up when we went to mass “meelads”- gatherings to remember the Messenger Muhammad (may peace be upon him). At age 6 or 7, I remember though being bored listening to  the speakers give talks or recite songs, as we eagerly awaited lunch – delicious dhall (lentils) and rice which was served to us in huge plastic bowls that we had to dish out by ourselves. These plated iftaars in Istanbul, some twenty years later were really neat and sophisticated-  it made me smile to think about the comparison! 🙂

I was really grateful for the opportunity to partake in the local community get together, and although not explicitly welcomed- welcomed none the less 🙂

Injecting the Ramadan spirit, one instance at a time.
MuslimahbyDesign

First impressions of Ramadan in Istanbul

I am living in Istanbul for the past 1.5 years, yet this is my first experience of Ramadan as I was away for the last two instances. Leading up to the month, I was quite excited to finally have a taste (no pun intended!) of what this special month would be like in the third country that I have lived in over the past few years.

About two-thirds in, and so far I cant help but feel sadly disappointed. I had high expectations given the prevalent ‘Muslim’ culture and rich Islamic history that surrounds you here and I felt that I would instantly feel the ‘Ramadan vibe’ so to speak. But it turns out, its not that simple. Yes, there are more camis (mosques) here than tube stops in London, and the adhan is heard loudly and openly almost anywhere that you are. But there is also a very strong secular side to this country, especially where we happen to be living – European side in Besiktas. Here not everyone is a practicing Muslim, participating in fasting and observing the month in a ‘religious’ kind of way. And so restaurants and cafes are not only open, but at times brimming with people enjoying a Summer lunch or family dinner. It has admittedly been a bit of a strange sight for me – and disappointing. But it is the way things are here, and it takes adjusting to and a level of understanding.

In addition, the language barrier has meant that we cannot actively participate in the community events or strike up a conversation easily in the store with anyone about how their Ramadan was going. It can be a bit isolating and also whilst I’m sure many Turks are going about with the fasts and ramadan in their own homes and lives, we haven’t been able to tap into that as much.

So I have been in search of activities that would help me to feel the ‘Ramadan spirit’. As my husband has made two Ramadans here, he suggested we visit  the more ‘traditional’ , even touristy areas such as Sultanahmet, Fatih etc to capture the fasting buzz and atmosphere.

So last weekend we visited Ortokoy – a suburb in Istanbul near the Bosphorus where we hung out near the water for a bit and saw the mass iftaar being set up. So a really nice initiative by the local council here is to set up these mass iftaars at certain mosques all over Istanbul to provide food for people, especially those who are commuting and may not make it home in time to open their fast. Some events have entertainment afterwards such as traditional Turkish music for the whole family to enjoy.

This time however, we opted to have our iftaar at Destan – a restaurant in Ortokoy overlooking the Bosphorus. It was one of the many places that offer an “Iftaar menu”- a set meal compromising of dates and nuts to start, soup and a main dish of maybe grilled kofte or chicken. Although we ordered off the menu instead, we were still presented with the date plate to open our fast with, which I was thrilled with!

We opened our fast with the sounding of the booming adhan from the Ortokoy camii right next door and my husband went off to pray Maghrib, while I sat with our baby at the restaurant, and I prayed right there when he returned (just practically made sense). He found the Maghrib prayers to be a bit strange in that there was no jamaah (prayer in congregation), as most people were eating iftaar outside so unless he missed it – or it was coming later, he wasn’t sure what to make of it!

Anyway, we then ate our meal and afterwards took a leisurely walk through the streets browsing at the shops and little market stalls. Our discovery of the week happened to be a  new ‘Karak chai’ cafe that sold our favourite Middle Eastern warm drink – milky hot tea with spices!

It was lovely to be surrounded by others observing the fasting month, and opening our fast in an alternative setting. Stay tuned for my next initiative to create an awesome Ramadan vibe in these parts!

Injecting the Ramadan spirit, one instance at a time.
MuslimahbyDesign