Ramadan iftars at Istanbul’s iconic Sultanahmet Square
The historical site becomes a destination for communal iftar gatherings, showing off its cosmopolitan and diverse spirit during the Islamic holy month.
People are patiently waiting for the call to prayer to break their fasts.
The mouthwatering fragrance of the ‘pide’ – the traditional Turkish flatbread – wafts in the air as people form a serpentine queue leading up to Istanbul’s iconic Sultanahmet restaurants.
Ahead of muezzin’s call to prayer – the maghrib azaan – the square is teeming with the faithful and tourists, looking up at the grand facade and minarets of the imposing Sultanahmet Mosque and soaking in the atmosphere of the place.
The long line of customers waiting impatiently for their food offers a clue as to why the Turkish language conjured the phrase “Ramazan Coşkusu” (Ramadan enthusiasm).
There are long queues in front of restaurants at the square.
The huge crowd flocks in the direction of Sultanahmet Square, where pink and yellow tulips add a dash of colour unique to Türkiye’s streets since the Ottoman period.
The atmosphere of the historic site is dazzling with centuries-old grandeur. Specific to this holy month, the two most significant monuments of the area offer a message in their traditional ‘mahya lights’ hung between the two minarets.
People often treat each other to dates, a staple item in Ramadan.
On one side, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque illuminates its low domes and minarets against the reddish sky above with its ‘mahya’ inscription, 'La Ilahe Illallah' – There is no god but Allah.
And a stone’s throw away, on the southern side, stands the Sultanahmet Mosque, or the Blue Mosque as it is more popularly known, thanks to its walls decorated with blue Iznik tiles.
The 17-century building currently undergoing restoration completes the message of the Hagia Sophia’s mahya inscription with “Muhammedün Rasulullah”, meaning Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This combination of messages builds into the core wording of one of Islam’s creeds.
Pide, traditional Turkish flatbread, is an inseparable savour of the iftars.
As the sun sets, people scramble to find a spot to lay their kilims on the grass or simply sit down on the pavements and prepare their iftar meal. The square transforms into a vast public space in a moment, where hundreds of people breathe into the most long-awaited period of the day to break their fasts.
Curtley Maloney, 29, sits on one of the wooden banks with his Moroccan friend while waiting for dusk to savour his lemonade and toast. Coming from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, Maloney is visibly excited about his Ramadan experience in Istanbul as he describes it as “quite different from what he is accustomed to.”
Curtley Maloney, on the right, says he believes there is a proportional relationship between iftar and social gathering with other people.
Growing up in a Christian family, fasting on the second day has been challenging for him as he cheated with a chocolate bar earlier in the day, Maloney tells TRT World. However, he managed to fast the whole day before, which is how he “shows his solidarity” with the people in the holy month.
Having lived in Istanbul over the past two months for a university exchange programme, the political science and international relations student emphasises the importance of the Sultanahmet, saying this religious area is deeply woven into the Turkish culture. He adds: “Having the opportunity to see so many people patiently waiting to partake of iftar in this capturing ambience is one that still boggles the mind.”
People are soaking the unique Ramadan atmosphere and preparing their meals until the call to prayer.
As the clock hits 19.48 local time (16.48 GMT), the call to prayer echoes across the sky in the evening of “the City on Seven Hills”, sprinkling the melancholic soundscape over the square with its unique Segah maqam (melodic pattern in Turkish classical music).
People excitedly grab their cups to sip water, ritually eat a piece of date or olive and dig into the meal that they eagerly pull out of their boxes. At that moment, the spirit of sharing is revived as some offer ‘pide’ to the nearest faithful.
People break their fasts once the call to prayer is recited.
Aside from its religious identity bolstered by an array of customary and folkloric arrangements, Sultanahmet Square’s other remarkable reflection occurs as it harbours multicultural and multifaith gatherings in a historic public sphere. Indeed, the iconic area brings together people of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds under the same umbrella of emotional experience and excitement.
Muhammad Aunul Muwaffaq, a 26-year-old economics student at Ibn Haldun University, breaks his fast in this historical garden with fellow Indonesian friends living in Istanbul. The group fortuitously settled near Hurrem Sultan Hammam, a masterpiece of the famous Ottoman Architect Sinan.
Muhammad Aunul Muwaffaq, an Indonesian master student in Istanbul, enjoys the atmosphere of the Sultanahmet Square with an iftar gathering with his friends.
For Muwaffaq, Sultanahmet Square represents Islamic culture and tolerance. Enjoying the local tastes of Indonesia in this unique atmosphere makes him appreciate the beauty of Islam in its inclusive culture and sunnah (prophet Muhammad's way of life and legal precedent).
“I enjoy every second of my time in Istanbul, the symbol of cross-cultural encounter. God created humans in many different cultures and ethnicities, so we must respect each other to feel the love,” Muwaffaq tells TRT World.
With a smile, he underlines his special love towards Istanbul: “We can say Istanbul, the captivating province, is a heaven on earth, especially during Ramadan. Our neighbours treat us to a meal, and communal iftars are everywhere, often free of charge.”
After the iftar meal, worshippers and visitors flock to the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque to perform evening prayer or to discover the magnificent sixth-century edifice with a closer look. During the Tarawih prayer, in particular, held only after the evening prayer in Ramadan, a crowd flows into Istanbul’s landmark mosques to such an extent that it is quite commonplace to see carpets laid down outside of the holy buildings.
Muslim worshippers, domestic and international tourists fill the 6th-century Hagia Sophia, which regained its status as a mosque in 2020.
The nights of Ramadan in Sultanahmet Square extend until the sahur, the meal eaten before dawn, with many cafes in service. Gullac dessert, a speciality of the holy month, can turn the time of fasting into a sweet festival. The light and fluffy dessert is prepared with paper-thin sheets soaked in sugared warm milk.
Gullac is a refreshing Turkish dessert, popularly consumed during Ramadan.
The Turkish saying “Olive is the first, gullac is the last bite of Ramadan” reveals the extent to which the dessert that has been an integral part of Ottoman cuisine is knitted into the holy month of Ramadan.
For those who prefer to stroll around the historic area, roasted or boiled corn, roasted chestnuts, and traditional Maras ice cream are just some of the flavours one can savour after the iftar meal in Istanbul’s magical time.
Sultanahmet Square also offers different street tastes following iftar.
Besides, located within a two-minute walking distance from the square, the Basilica Cistern, the water storage site built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 542, is open until 22:00 (19:00 GMT) during Ramadan for history enthusiasts.
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