Elderly Jeddah residents would like to see a return of the cannon that was used to announce iftar and sahoor during Ramadan years ago.

“The cannon was one of the pillars of the month of Ramadan, not only in the Kingdom but throughout the entire Islamic world. We long for the return of the iftar cannon. To hear it again would be reminiscent of the days of our fathers and grandfathers and good times,” said 60-year-old Mohammed Al-Amari, a resident of the Al-Amaria neighborhood in Jeddah.

“In the past, the firing of the cannon near our neighborhood in central Jeddah would tell us about the start of Ramadan,” he said. “We would visit each other to congratulate and convey our blessings, before preparing to perform Taraweeh prayers.”

Al-Amri said the loss of the cannons has diminished the spirituality and traditions of the Islamic world.
Seventy-year-old Hussein Al-Zahrani said he was responsible for firing the cannon in Ramadan more than 40 years ago. “It was quite exciting for us to fire it four times a day during Ramadan, first at Maghreb, once at 2:00 a.m., and twice 15 minutes before Fajr prayer.”

[wpResize]