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The world prepares for Ramadan The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when Muslims around the globe refrain from eating and drinking during the day, begins July 20.
July 19, 2012
A man looks into a mirror as he tries on a Muslim cap in a market Jakarta, Indonesia, in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims believe that the Koran was sent down to the lowest heaven during this month, thus being prepared for gradual revelation by the Archangel Jibraeel to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
Enny Nuraheni
/
Reuters
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July 19, 2012
Children practice reading the Koran at a park in Jakarta, Indonesia. More than 1,400 children gathered for the event, which was organized by a local charity organization to mark the holy month of Ramadan.
Supri
/
Reuters
July 19, 2012
A man carries noodles prepared for Ramadan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Muslims throughout the world are preparing to celebrate the holy month, a period devoted to dawn-to-dusk fasting, prayers and spiritual introspection.
B.K. Bangash
/
AP
July 19, 2012
Muslims shop for food in preparation for Ramadan at a market in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen.
Hani Mohammed
/
AP
July 19, 2012
A woman buys food made for Ramadan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. During the holy month, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk.
B.K. Bangash
/
AP
July 19, 2012
Abdullah Sameer, 39, center, displays corn at a market ahead of the month of Ramadan, which begins July 20, in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen.
Hani Mohammed
/
AP
July 19, 2012
Iraqis shop for food in preparation for the month of Ramadan at the Shorjah market in central Baghdad. Throughout the holy month, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and smoking between dawn and dusk.
Karim Kadim
/
AP
July 17, 2012
People distribute provisions on behalf of the International Red Cross in preparation for Ramadan, in the northern Malian city of Gao. The month, which begins July 20, has raised fears of stricter rule by the jihadists occupying northern Mali, at a time when the region has also been hit by power cuts, water shortages, high food prices and scorching temperatures.
Issouf Sanogo
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AFP/Getty Images
July 19, 2012
A man carries a traditional handcrafted lamp used by Egyptians during Ramadan as sheep graze in the street in Cairo, on the eve of the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Gianluigi Guercia
/
AFP/Getty Images
July 19, 2012
Muslim students read the Koran inside the IBN Khaldon Asian Integrated Institute in Maharlika village, south of Manila. Ramadan 2012 starts Friday, July 20, and will continue for 30 days until the Aug. 18.
Romeo Ranoco
/
Reuters
July 19, 2012
A Palestinian vendor takes a handful of dates as shops stock up for the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Islam's holy month of Ramadan will begin in few days depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.
Said Khatib
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AFP/Getty Images
July 18, 2012
A man fixes a traditional Ramadan decoration, called the Fanoos and used during the Muslim holy month, in Amman, Jordan, as Muslims around the world prepare for the start of the fasting month.
Khalil Mazraawi
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AFP/Getty Images
July 18, 2012
A man memorizes the Koran with the help of a wooden slate at a school, in preparation for the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya.
Esam Omran al-Fetori
/
Reuters
July 18, 2012
Indonesian Muslim students march during a gathering marking Ramadan in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Achmad Ibrahim
/
AP
July 18, 2012
A woman walks in front of traditional Ramadan lanterns at a Cairo shop ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Amr Nabil
/
AP
July 16, 2012
Iraqis shop for food at a market as they prepare for Ramadan in Baghdad's Sadr City.
Ahmad al-Rubaye
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AFP/Getty Images
July 11, 2012
Orphans play traditional drums during a ceremony to celebrate the coming Ramadan in Beirut.
Anwar Amro
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AFP/Getty Images
July 11, 2012
Female detainees offer prayers during a gathering in the yard at the Narathiwat jail in Thailand's restive southern Narathiwat province. The Thai government opened the doors of a prison for relatives to visit their loved ones, welcoming the holy month of Ramadan.
Madaree Tohlala
/
AFP/Getty Images
July 5, 2012
A Bahraini man arranges decorations in Malkiya for a celebration of the birthday of Imam Mahdi, grandson of Islam's founding prophet. The event, known as Nasfa and most widely celebrated in Shiite Muslim areas, is held on the full moon night midway through the Islamic month preceding the holy month of Ramadan.
Hasan Jamali
/
AP
July 5, 2012
A woman gestures as she prepares treats and refreshments for children and passersby inside a decorated area in front of her home in the western village of Malkiya, Bahrain.
Hasan Jamali
/
AP
July 3, 2012
A vendor cleans Ramadan lanterns displayed for sale at a shop ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo.
Amr Abdallah Dalsh
/
Reuters
June 13, 2012
Laborers put up a tarp to shade the area in front of the Dome of the Rock in preparation for Ramadan on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, where the Al-Aqsa mosque (not seen) also stands, in Jerusalem's Old City.
Darren Whiteside
/
Reuters
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