In Pictures: Ramadan around the world
The Muslim sacred month of Ramadan began in May. Here's how the world marks it.
More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world welcomed the sacred month of Ramadan on May 26 this year. Each night for a month, observant Muslims engage in a period of intense prayer, with dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly shared meals.
Indonesia
Indonesian Muslims pray during the start of the holy month of Ramadan on May 26, 2017, at the Al Akbar mosque in Surabaya.
Afghanistan
Afghan boys read the Quran, the sacred book of Islam, during the Islamic month of Ramadan at a mosque in Jalalabad on May 28, 2017. Aside from fasting, Ramadan is meant to be a period of spiritual growth, emphasising intense study of the Quran, self-evaluation and charity.
The United States
American Muslims perform Tarawih, a nighttime prayer, on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York. More than 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States are celebrating Ramadan.
Romania
Muslims break their fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, in Bucharest, Romania.
Pakistan
Pakistani Muslims arrange food for Iftar, the meal at sunset, in Lahore on May 28, 2017.
In Pakistan, Muslims supplicate before breaking their fast at a mosque in Peshawar on May 27, 2017. Local mosques in many Muslim-majority nations serve food during Ramadan.
India
Indian Muslims perform ablution, a type of ritual purification, before Tarawih in a garden in Allahabad.
Indian Muslims wash before breaking their fast during the holy month of Ramadan at the Jama Masjid, in the old quarters of New Delhi.
Ukraine
Muslims attend a fast-breaking meal (Iftar dinner) on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at Ar-Rahma Mosque in Kiev, Ukraine.
Turkey
People break their fast on May 27, 2017 at Blue Mosque Square in Istanbul, during the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.
Palestine
Ramadan drummers call for Muslims to wake up for the meal, eaten before the beginning of the fast, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine. This tradition is observed in some Muslim-populated countries including Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt.
A Palestinian man reads the Quran during the holy month of Ramadan at the Great Mosque of Gaza, in Gaza City.
Syria
A boy carries pastries, ready for the oven, that will be sold during Ramadan in the opposition-held besieged eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria, May 28, 2017.
Iraq
An elderly man reads the Quran, Islam's holiest book, at Al Khazir camp for the internally displaced, located between Erbil and Mosul.