Muslims in the Middle East are observing the holy month of Ramadan under exceptional circumstances.
Ramadan is seen as a time of religious reflection and worship, charity, and community, as they fast from sunrise until sunset.
Families broke their first day of fast with loved ones, as towns and cities lit festive lights and held events for communities to mark the occasion as they have for generations during times of peace and economic stability.
However, the impact of war and major political transformations that shook the region are still felt.
This is the first Ramadan for many Syrian spent without the Assad dynasty ruling the country in over half a century. President Bashar Assad was ousted in a lightning insurgency in December led by the country’s new Islamist de facto rulers in Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Assad’s downfall brought initial joy and hope among Syrians, but the vast destruction following over a decade of war, economic turmoil that has plunged an estimated 90% of its population into poverty, and uncertainty over whether the country’s security will find stability anytime soon has simmered down that initial optimism. Families in once bustling neighborhoods reduced to rubble broke their fast by the ruins as charities arranged Iftar dinners.
The widespread poverty in Syria comes as the new interim government has urged the international community to lift sanctions to allow reconstruction and make the country’s battered economy viable again.
It is still a novel sight, as Syrians in Damascus walked through its iconic old city markets at night, only this time without the portraits of Assad on every corner, and with Syria’s new flag draped over store fronts.
In the Gaza Strip, it’s the second year Palestinians are marking Ramadan following the war between Israel and the militant Hamas group. This year, they are hoping that a shaky ceasefire deal holds, as much of the tiny enclave lays in ruins, where most Palestinians rely on food and medical aid to survive due to the widespread destruction.
In the southern city of Rafah, where a monthslong Israeli military operation took place since last summer, Palestinians set strings of lights across the ruins of damaged buildings and a table stretching across the road for Iftar during sunset.
Elsewhere, a family in Jabaliya in northern Gaza prepares a modest Iftar dinner over a makeshift stove in their damaged home. It’s a far cry from the larger dinners families hold where they invite relatives and friends to have a meal.
