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Believers gather across Istanbul on the first day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month marked by fasting from dawn to sunset, as crowds come together to wait for iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast. One of the focal points was the Oruc Baba Shrine in Istanbul’s Fatih district, where visitors pray, read passages from the Quran and prepare spiritually before sunset. The shrine, dedicated to a figure widely regarded by visitors as a holy person, drew people seeking blessings and reflection at the start of what is often called the “sultan of eleven months,” a traditional Turkish expression describing Ramadan’s spiritual importance.
Throughout the afternoon, visitors moved in and out of the shrine, offering prayers and quietly taking part in religious rituals. Some attendees said they had come to experience the spiritual atmosphere and to pray for personal wishes, reflecting a long-standing local tradition of visiting sacred sites during Ramadan. Others returned after earlier visits they believed had brought positive outcomes, while some travelers arrived for the first time after hoping for years to see the site during the holy month.
Locals and international visitors sat side by side, sharing food they had brought from home. Foreign visitors also took part in the experience, including students staying in Istanbul for the month of Ramadan.
Some said they chose to break their fast in the square after preparing traditional dishes from their own cultures, showing how Ramadan gatherings in the city bring together different nationalities. Families from across Istanbul likewise came prepared with homemade meals, treating the first iftar as a shared occasion that strengthened social bonds.
A visitor, Nurgul Bayram, said she had visited before and that her prayers had been accepted. She had come again because her son would be taking a university entrance exam.
Elsewhere on the historic peninsula, locals and foreign visitors gathered at Sultan Ahmet Square to wait for the first iftar. Before the call to prayer, a symbolic cannon firing was carried out, after which tourists also broke their fast alongside residents, reflecting how public spaces in Istanbul can turn into communal iftar settings.
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