- Title: EGYPT: Historic Cairo cannon continues to mark end of Ramadan fast
- Date: 2nd October 2007
- Summary: VARIOUS OF PEOPLE EATING IFTAR AT OUTDOOR RESTAURANTS CLOSE-UP OF SIGN OF FAMOUS KEBAB RESTAURANT AL-DIHAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESTAURANT WORKER ASHRAF SAYING: "The Ramadan cannon is something that dates back to a long time ago in the past and it is something that we have got used to since we were young. And we love hearing it when it's time for the Iftar and Suhour meal
- Embargoed: 17th October 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Egypt
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA9FCUZR25MW0POWZKDWBN88LXL
- Story Text: "Hagga Fatma," the centuries-old cannon whose daily sounding signals the end of the Ramadan fast, is a tradition few Egyptians can imagine the holy month without.
In an open plain at dusk on the outskirts of Cairo, three firemen polish a vintage German cannon, carefully preparing it for the vital task it has performed during Ramadan for hundreds of years.
"Hagga Fatma" as the Ramadan Cannon is called by nickname-prone Egyptians, has done its job faithfully since Ottoman times, its blast sounding at sunset to signal the end of the day's fast and just before sunrise to signal its start.
It is a tradition steeped in lore, and one that Egyptians have grown accustomed to. Nowadays most Egyptians hear the blast on the radio or television, preceded by the ear-piercing sound of the cannon operator screaming - "Ramadan Iftar Cannon - Fire!"
While the cannon still sounds twice daily, what most Egyptians hear is a recording of it and of the voice of Musaad Abdel Sitar, the man who has been in charge of Hagga Fatma for over forty years.
Abdel Sitar says the tradition of firing the cannon at Iftar and the cannon's nickname are intertwined.
"There was a leader named 'Khoshadam', and he was celebrating the birthday of his wife, Fatma, and by coincidence they were testing this cannon at the same time. And they fired it exactly at the time of the 'maghreb' exactly. So the people thought that the leader had set off the cannon to signal the iftar for them, so they went to thank him. And Hagga Fatma went to them and said that the cannon will be fired for Ramadan. And since that time the cannon has been called 'Hagga Fatma'," he said.
Whether the tradition originated under Egypt's ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha, as some claim, or earlier under Memluke ruler of Egypt Khosh Qadam, is uncertain, but either way the firing of the cannon is now synonymous with Ramadan in Egypt and countries like Dubai and Kuwait where the same tradition has been adopted.
For many awaiting Iftar at sundown at the restaurants outside of the al-Hussein mosque near the Khan al-Khalili bazaar, Hagga Fatma has become as much a part of Ramadan as the Ramadan lanterns that illuminate the city by night.
As the restaurants crowd up with those waiting patiently for the afternoon prayers to end and the cannon to sound so they can break their fast, the engineers responsible for the cannon begin their twice daily ritual of preparing it to fire.
While the cannon once rested atop Cairo's famous Citadel which overlooks the city from the Muqattam plateau, it was moved three times before being stationed 15 years ago near a campus of al-Azhar university in al-Bo'outh city, where it remains.
In the days before radio and television, the city used to have several cannons that Cairenes relied on during Ramadan. These days they hear not the cannon blast itself but a recording of it and Abdel Satir's voice.
Complaints about the noise made by the cannon from the city's ever-growing number of residents and also fears about the effect the cannon blasts were having on the historic Citadel site were responsible for the move.
According to some accounts the current cannon, which is said to have replaced an earlier British model, used to fire live ammunition until it was replaced with blanks in 1859, when buildings began to rise up around the citadel.
In the field in al-Bo'outh, the team responsible for Hagga Fatma, three firemen and one explosives expert from the Interior Ministry, begin cleaning the cannon a half hour before Iftar or Imsak, just before dawn.
One of Musaad Abdel Satir's assistants then opens the chamber and he places a dummy bullet inside, then inserts the fuse and stands back and prepares to ignite it with a battery.
As soon as Abdel Satir hears the Maghreb prayer, he screams out the deep-baritone command so many Egyptians have grown up with.
After the cannon sounds the long Ramadan nights begin in earnest with people breaking the fast in places like Khan al-Khalili. Once the day's austerity is over, Egyptians spend much of the night out socializing, smoking and drinking tea in outdoor cafes and eating in preparation for the next day's fast -- the start of which is signalled again by Hagga Fatma.
"The Ramadan cannon is something that dates back to a long time ago in the past and it is something that we have got used to since we were young. And we love hearing it when its time for the Iftar and Suhour meals.
The sound of the Ramadan cannon in particular makes Ramadan distinct from all the other times," says restaurant worker Ashraf.
While Egyptians hear Abdel Satir's voice via a recording, this may be the last year he actually calls out the cannon blast in person. Abdel Satir says he is thinking of retiring after over four decades in charge of Hagga Fatma.
With or without Abdel Satir, Hagga Fatma will likely go on for some time to come, sounding out the end of one day's fast and the beginning of another for Egyptians as she has for centuries. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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