Ramadan iftar cannon reignites tradition, embraces modernity

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Updated 22 March 2024
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Ramadan iftar cannon reignites tradition, embraces modernity

  • Col. Abdulla Tarish Al-Amimi is household name, known for announcing the iftar cannon with the word ‘fire’

DUBAI: Waiting to hear the Ramadan cannon for iftar is a longstanding tradition in the homes of Dubai residents.

Over the years, Dubai has increased the number of iftar cannons around the Emirate, which are operated by the police.

There is one man that Dubai residents look for every year around Iftar time, Lt. Col. Abdulla Tarish Al-Amimi.

Al-Amimi has been announcing for eight years the now-familiar “fire” from the main cannon’s location, which is broadcast live on television.

Al-Amimi said it is an important tradition that has been modernized.

“Despite the changes in our city and society the canon remains unchanged and continues to resonate with all generations,” added Al-Amimi.

This tradition attracts both tourists and Dubai visitors, he said.

“The cannon has a strong appeal to people, when someone brings back a tradition from their homeland others are naturally drawn to it and want to learn more,” he explained.

Anastasiia Chetverikov, a Dubai tourist from Russia, said this was her first experience of Ramadan.

“As a non-Muslim, I have always been interested in the Ramadan celebrations. It’s interesting to learn about new cultures and experience something new,” said Chetverikov.

Even for Muslims from other regions, Ramadan in Dubai is a completely different experience.

American visitor Elizabeth Ibrahim said the UAE has captured the spirit of Ramadan.

“Hearing the call to prayer out loud is amazing, we don’t have anything like that back home. The canon is something new to me. I’ve never heard of it before but it’s really cool that it’s used to signal Maghrib time,” added Ibrahim.

But why is the cannon used?

The practice can be traced to 10th-century Egypt during the Fatimid caliphate when a cannon was used to announce iftar.

This year the main cannon has been stationed at the Expo City near the iconic Al-Wasl Plaza as part of the second Hai Ramadan celebrations.

Featuring decor inspired by a traditional Emirati Hai — the Arabic word for neighborhood — Hai Ramadan serves classic traditional treats including luqaimat, Arabic coffee and regag.

Throughout the evening, performers light up the Al-Wasl Plaza which includes a traditional storytelling experience. A hakawati — an ancient storyteller — performs alongside the Expo City mascots Rashid and Latifa, sharing stories and morals about the holy month.

Hai Ramadan will run until April 10 and is open from 5 p.m. until midnight.


Israel defense ministry says arms exports hit all time high in 2024

Updated 57 min 8 sec ago
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Israel defense ministry says arms exports hit all time high in 2024

  • “Israel again reached an all-time peak in defense exports in 2024,” the ministry said

JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense ministry said Wednesday that its arms exports hit an all-time high of more than $14.7 billion in 2024, with a sharp rise in deals with Arab Gulf states, despite international criticism of Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“Israel again reached an all-time peak in defense exports in 2024, marking the fourth consecutive record-breaking year in the scope of defense agreements,” the ministry, which oversees and approves the exports of Israel’s defense industries, said in a statement.


Suspected crypto kidnappings mastermind arrested in Morocco

Updated 04 June 2025
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Suspected crypto kidnappings mastermind arrested in Morocco

  • France thanks Morocco for arresting 24-year-old after kidnappings targeting French crypto entrepreneurs

PARIS: France’s justice minister on Wednesday said that Morocco had arrested a man suspected of ordering a series of kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs in France.
“I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly in the fight against organized crime,” Gerald Darmanin said on X.


Turkiye’s AJet to start flights to Syria’s Damascus

Updated 04 June 2025
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Turkiye’s AJet to start flights to Syria’s Damascus

  • AJet said flights from Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16
  • Flights to Damascus from Ankara will start from Jun. 17

ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.

AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16. Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added.

Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from Jun. 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.

Turkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country’s reconstruction. Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria’s airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.


UAE president meets Egypt’s Sisi in Abu Dhabi

Updated 04 June 2025
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UAE president meets Egypt’s Sisi in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed met his counterpart Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.  
El-Sisi, who is on a visit to the UAE, arrived at the presidential airport and was received by the UAE leader along with a number of senior officials.


Turkiye backing Syria’s military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defense minister says

Updated 04 June 2025
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Turkiye backing Syria’s military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defense minister says

  • Guler says Israel de-confliction talks continue
  • Turkish troops stay for now in Syria, he tells Reuters

ANKARA: Turkiye is training and advising Syria’s armed forces and helping improve its defenses, and has no immediate plans for the withdrawal or relocation of its troops stationed there, Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.
Turkiye has emerged as a key foreign ally of Syria’s new government since rebels — some of them backed for years by Ankara — ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December to end his family’s five-decade rule.
It has promised to help rebuild neighboring Syria and facilitate the return of millions of Syrian civil war refugees, and played a key role last month getting US and European sanctions on Syria lifted.
The newfound Turkish influence in Damascus has raised Israeli concerns and risked a standoff or worse in Syria between the regional powers.
In written answers to questions from Reuters, Guler said Turkiye and Israel — which carried out its latest airstrikes on southern Syria late on Tuesday — are continuing de-confliction talks to avoid military accidents in the country.
Turkiye’s overall priority in Syria is preserving its territorial integrity and unity, and ridding it of terrorism, he said, adding Ankara was supporting Damascus in these efforts.
“We have started providing military training and consultancy services, while taking steps to increase Syria’s defense capacity,” Guler said, without elaborating on those steps.
Named to the post by President Tayyip Erdogan two years ago, Guler said it was too early to discuss possible withdrawal or relocation of the more than 20,000 Turkish troops in Syria.
Ankara controlled swathes of northern Syria and established dozens of bases there after several cross-border operations in recent years against Kurdish militants it deems terrorists.
This can “only be re-evaluated when Syria achieves peace and stability, when the threat of terrorism in the region is fully removed, when our border security is fully ensured, and when the honorable return of people who had to flee is done,” he said.
NATO member Turkiye has accused Israel of undermining Syrian peace and rebuilding with its military operations there in recent months and, since late 2023, has also fiercely criticized Israel’s assault on Gaza.
But the two regional powers have been quietly working to establish a de-confliction mechanism in Syria.
Guler described the talks as “technical level meetings to establish a de-confliction mechanism to prevent unwanted events” or direct conflict, as well as “a communication and coordination structure.”
“Our efforts to form this line and make it fully operational continue. Yet it should not be forgotten that the de-confliction mechanism is not a normalization,” he told Reuters.