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Photos: In Iraq, a Mosul Ramadan is special

Ramadan in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul has a flavour different from anywhere else in the country.

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Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
Children carrying lanterns roam the old city of Mosul on March 22, 2023, to ​​celebrate the start of Ramadan. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
By Ismael Adnan
Published On 12 Apr 2023

Mosul, Iraq – In this northern Iraqi city, Ramadan is said to have a flavour different from anywhere else in Iraq.

A few days before the beginning of the holy month, people start going to the markets to prepare for the days of fast. The oldest and most prominent of these is Bab al-Saray in old Mosul.

‏Muhammad Ghanem, 42, owns a spice shop at al-Attarin market in Bab al-Saray. Markets are always busier in Ramadan as people prepare to put on big family meals, he tells Al Jazeera.

“The other thing about this market that attracts people is that people can find everything they need here, including clothes, food, household items, and everything at cheap prices compared to other markets. Even people from neighbouring cities come to this market to shop during Ramadan.”

A Mosul Ramadan speciality is raisin juice, made with the best raisins from the mountains of Iraq’s Kurdish region as well as fresh mint.

Masaharati, or al-masharaji in the Iraqi dialect, is another Ramadan feature. This folkloric occupation is practised only during the holy month, as a man walks through the alleyways of the old city and beats his drum, calling loudly to fasting folk to wake up and have their suhoor meal before a day of fasting begins. The masaharati features in Ramadan in a number of other Muslim countries as well.

Ghufran Thamer, a 31-year-old Mosuli, is roaming the alleys of old Mosul to wake people up for the sixth year in a row. He was the first to restore this Mosuli heritage after the city was liberated from the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.

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Another popular figure the people of Mosul love is the hakawati, or storyteller, who first appeared during the Ottoman era, sitting in public spaces to tell stories to passers-by who would stop and gather around to listen.

He tells old stories he heard from his parents and grandparents, or stories someone wrote for him, or stories he writes himself, but all of them are a source of wisdom and life lessons.

Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
Ghufran, the masaharati, is on the streets every night at suhoor time, beating his drum and calling out for people to wake up to eat. His mother is the one who suggested he start this, to revive Mosul's traditions. 'Even children are happy when they see me,' he says. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
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Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
The Bytna Foundation for Heritage, Arts and Culture held a Ramadan evening in the courtyard of Hammam al-Manqousha in old Mosul. Retired professor of agriculture Najm al-Din Abdullah, 66, from the University of Mosul was the hakawati that night. A theatre actor for years in the 1990s, this was the first time he played this role. 'I prepared some stories because I did not know who would attend. When I arrived, I checked out the audience and then I chose. I talked about respecting your neighbour and about pure love, because people take wisdom and lessons from the storyteller,' he says. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
A young man in folkloric clothes distributes sweets to people during the Ramadan evening in the courtyard of Hammam al-Manqousha while the hakawati told stories to the audience in old Mosul, Iraq, on March 29, 2023. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
A young Mosuli plays the daf handheld drum in old Mosul on March 22, 2023, to ​​celebrate the start of the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
A vendor sprays water on his cart of vegetables near Bab al-Saray in old Mosul on April 5, 2023. Ramadan is considered a blessed month for the markets as well as the people as they tend to sell more during this time. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
People shopping in Bab al-Saray markets in old Mosul on April 5, 2023. This market was destroyed during the operations to liberate the city from ISIL, and it was looted and burned. Six years later, most shopowners have returned after rebuilding their shops. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
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"There's something about Mosul... we (shop owners) all cut our prices to help people in Ramadan. There are also many free food baskets that go out to the poor from this market. In my opinion, it is the strongest city for social solidarity in the Arab World," Muhammed Ghanem said. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
'There's something about Mosul ... we [shopowners] all cut our prices to help people in Ramadan. There are also many free food baskets that go out to the poor from this market. In my opinion, it is the strongest city for social solidarity in the Arab World,' Muhammed Ghanem said. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
A man sells Aleppo soap in the soap market within Bab al-Saray in old Mosul on April 5, 2023. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
Men make zalabiya, a traditional Iraqi sweet, during the holy month of Ramadan in Mosul on March 25, 2023. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
A man sells zalabiya during Ramadan in Mosul on March 25, 2023. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
‎‏Hussein Abdul Hadi, left, 27, has been making raisin juice for three years at a famous juice shop in Mosul. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
'Making raisin juice begins by washing the raisins well. Mint is added, and then the raisins are finely chopped, soaked in filtered water, mixed and filtered through special cloth bags. Then it's ready to be packed and sold to people,' said Abdul Hadi. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
‎‏The famous Taha raisin juice shops were established in the 1950s, and now they have several outlets across Mosul, and customers come there from different Iraqi governorates. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
Cooks prepare food for students gathering on the banks of the Tigris River at al-Jawsaq Corniche, on the right side of Mosul. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]
Ramadan rituals in Mosul, northern Iraq
The gathering on the al-Jawsaq Corniche was for a collective iftar held by the University of Nineveh for 700-1,000 people during Ramadan, on April 9, 2023. [Ismael Adnan/Al Jazeera]