‘Everything would close down by 1pm in the 1980s’
Iman Ahmad’s first memories of Ramadan are in Beirut in the 1960s. Living in a secular society, the feeling of the month was always somewhat diluted, but the delicious knafeh (a Middle Eastern cream or cheese-based dessert) and shaabiyat (a Lebanese stuffed puff pastry pocket) stood out as highlights during iftar.
“In 1975, we moved to Egypt for a year during the Lebanese civil war. It was then that the true spirituality of the fasting month was driven home. Everyone around me was fasting, engaging in worship and there were Ramadan lights everywhere, indicating just how much people cherished the time,” Ahmad, a 60-year-old Palestinian media executive, told Gulf News.
Then, in 1981, Ahmad and her family moved to the UAE. And what fond memories she has of the time!
“Everything would close down by 1pm and people would head home to prepare and enjoy iftar with their families. The streets would empty out and it was all so peaceful. Nothing beats Ramadan in the UAE in the 1980s and 1990s. There was such a feeling of camaraderie and friendship,” Ahmad said.
She remembers how almost everyone in Dubai knew each other back then, and how the rare days when iftar gatherings were held outside the house would be reserved for hotels like the Intercontinental and Sheraton.
“Interestingly, Gulf-based dishes like mandi were harder to find at buffets because most families simply prepared them at home every day. That being said, neighbours always shared their dishes with one another, and I remember how we would get plates of lugaimat [sweet Arabian dumplings] almost every day,” Ahmad said.
Today, Ramadan is far too commercialised for Ahmad’s taste. “The concept of spending all night in a Ramadan tent and indulging in food does not ring true to me. So I gather my children and four young grandchildren for iftar as often as I can, and we engage in acts of worship together so that they can internalise values essential to the holy month, like tolerance and empathy, for instance,” she said.