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Event Information: Ramadan begins in
the evening of Thursday, July 19,
, and ends in the evening of
Saturday, August 18, .
Ramadan is the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar and the most
important month in the Islamic
Calendar for Muslims, the majority
religion in Egypt. Commemorating the
time when God revealed the Qur'an to
Mohammed, during this holy month,
Muslims abstain from eating,
drinking or smoking until after
sundown on each day. Although strict
adherence to Ramadan is for Muslims
only, some Muslims appreciate that
non-Muslims do not take meals or
smoke in public places. During
Ramadan, many restaurants and cafes
won't open until after sundown.
Public transport is less frequent,
shops close earlier before sunset
and the pace of life (especially
business) is generally slow.
As
expected, exactly at sunset minute,
the entire country quiets down and
busy itself with the main meal of
the day (iftar or breaking-fast)
that are almost always done as
social events in large groups of
friends. Many richer people offer
(Tables of the Gracious God موائد
الرحمن ) in Cairo's streets that
cater full-meals for free for the
passers-by, the poorer ones or
workers who couldn't leave their
shifts at the time. Prayers become
popular 'social' events that some
like to enrich with special food
treats before and after. An hour or
two later, an astonishing springing
to life of the cities takes place.
Streets sometimes richly decorated
for the whole month have continuous
rush hours till very early in the
morning. Some shops and cafes make
the biggest chunk of their annual
profit at this time of year. Costs
of advertising on television and
radio soars for this period and
entertainment performances are at
their peak.
Islamic Cairo is a part of central
Cairo noted for its historically
important mosques and other Islamic
monuments. It is overlooked by the
Cairo Citadel. Islamic Cairo was
founded in 969 AD as the royal
enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs,
while the actual economic and
administrative capital was in nearby
Fustat. Fustat was established by
Arab military commander 'Amr ibn
al-'As following the conquest of
Egypt in 641, and took over as the
capital which previously was located
in Alexandria. Al-Askar, located in
what is now Old Cairo, was the
capital of Egypt from 750 to 868.
Ahmad ibn Tulun established Al-Qatta'i
as the new capital of Egypt, and
remained the capital until 905, when
the Fustat once again became the
capital. After Fustat was destroyed
in 1168/1169 to prevent its capture
by the Crusaders, the administrative
capital of Egypt moved to Cairo,
where it has remained ever since. It
took four years for the General
Jawhar Al Sikilli (the Sicilian) to
build Cairo and for the Fatimid
Calif Al Muizz to leave his old
Mahdia in Tunisia and settle in the
new Capital of Fatimids in Egypt.
After Memphis, Heliopolis, Giza and
the Byzantine fortress of
Babylon-in-Egypt, Fustat was a new
city built as a military garrison
for Arab troops. It was the closest
central location to Arabia that was
accessible to the Nile. Fustat
became a regional center of Islam
during the Umayyad period. It was
where the Umayyad ruler, Marwan II,
made his last stand against the
Abbasids.
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