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Baghdad residents broke their fast for the first time in years to the sound of an “iftar cannon,” a Ramadan tradition inherited from the Ottoman period that has now been brought back to life in Iraq’s capital.
The cannon was fired at sunset, alongside the call to prayer for the evening (maghrib) prayer, serving as an audible signal that the fasting day had ended. In a city marked by Ramadan’s spiritual atmosphere, people gathered with visible excitement to watch the firing from a cannon positioned along the banks of the Tigris River.
The “iftar cannon” is a ceremonial shot traditionally used in some Muslim-majority cities to announce the moment to break the fast during Ramadan. In Baghdad, this practice is described as having first been introduced during the Ottoman Empire, and it is now reappearing as a public ritual.
As the sun went down and the maghrib call to prayer was heard, the cannon blast signaled that it was time for iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast. The moment drew crowds to the riverfront, where the revived tradition was met with enthusiasm.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Iraqi content creator Mustafa Ibrahim described witnessing the event as a historic moment. He said the iftar cannon carries a spiritual and symbolic meaning tied specifically to Ramadan, and he also welcomed the involvement of the Iraqi army and other security forces in carrying out the cannon firing.
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