21/03/2024
🌙✨ “The Sultan of Eleven Months Has Arrived!” ✨ 🕌
1. As the sun sets, cities comes alive with the spirit of Ramadan. 🌆✨ From the historic minarets echoing the call to prayer to the bustling bazaars,every corner radiates joy. 🌙💫
2. During Ramadan, Turkey awakens to the rhythmic beat of the “davul,” a traditional drummer who roams the neighborhoods before dawn, awakening residents for the pre-dawn meal called “sahur.” 🥁
3. Queues form eagerly outside bakeries as locals await their freshly baked “pide,” a traditional Turkish bread enjoyed particularly during Ramadan. 🍞 Often topped with sesame or nigella seeds, pide is the perfect accompaniment to the evening meal known as “iftar.”
4. In the spirit of Ramadan, streets are often alive with the age-old traditions of “Hacivat and Karagöz,” traditional Turkish shadow puppet shows that bring joy and entertainment to families after iftar. 🎭
5. As winter cools, comforting aromas of “boza” and “salep,” cherished winter drinks, bring warmth and comfort. 🍵 Boza, a fermented wheat drink, and salep, a hot milky beverage made from orchid tubers. ☕
6. In the past decades, traditional taverns of Istanbul, known as “Meyhane,” used to close for the month but had a tradition: on the first day of Eid, they would send out trays of “unutma beni dolması” (literally translates to Forget-Me-Not Mussels), a special version of stuffed mussels to their valued customers, as a reminder of hospitality and a warm invitation to return. 🐚
