Lanterns, Qurans as Jerusalem holy site meets Ramadan

JERUSALEM: Jerusalem buzzes with renewed energy in the days before the start of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month, when the faithful abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.

There’s the bustle to prepare the al-Aqsa Mosque, the 8thcentury Muslim shrine in Jerusalem’s Old City, for the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who will come to pray.

Palestinians employed by the Waqf, the Islamic trust that oversees the mosque and the ancient compound that surrounds it, set up tents for fasting worshippers to take respite from the heat alongside the golden Dome of the Rock, the site where the Prophet Mohammad is said to have ascended to heaven.

Around the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, shopkeepers stock up on Ramadan essentials, including bright lights for decorations and Qurans and prayer beads for recitations.

Issam Zughaiar, 67, sells ornate Ramadan lanterns, called fanous, in the Old City’s winding covered market. Each year he visits factories around Jerusalem and neighboring Jordan and Egypt to handpick his selection.

This is why I like Jerusalem. It’s the centre for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. — Ari Heida, Dutch tourist

The twisting alleyways are filled with the scent of sweets eaten at Iftar, the nightly breaking of the fast, including atayef, sugarsoaked pancakes with cheese or nuts, and date-filled ajwa cookies.

Dutch tourist Ari Heida came to see preparations at the holy esplanade, referred to by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and by Jews as Temple Mount, the site of an ancient Jewish temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

“This is why I like Jerusalem. It’s the centre for Jews, Christians, and Muslims,” he said. — Reuters

Visitors walk past al-Aqsa Mosque at night on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City. — Reuters photo

A Palestinian man hangs decorations at the entrance to the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem’s Old City. — Reuters photo

A Palestinian Sheikh teaches children to read the Quran inside al-Aqsa Mosque. — Reuters photo

Firas Kazaz, a Palestinian muezzin, dressed in traditional clothing, calls Muslims to prayer, inside al-Aqsa Mosque. — Reuters photo

A Palestinian vendor touches Muslim prayer beads displayed onsaleathisshop in a market in Jerusalem’s Old City. — Reuters photo