| Throughout the region, Arab bureaucrats' notoriously short working days shrink yet further, as hordes of office-workers hurtle home at sunset for the iftar, the first of two special Ramadan meals. |
| Outside the dining room in the Grand Foyer was a round table that held a raised platter of dates, a traditional feature of the iftar meal. |
| When the time of iftar approaches, life starts again: shops, restaurants, cafes, streets are filled waiting the appeal of the muezzin. |
| As with iftar dinners, congregants usually provide the food for suhoor, although able mosques may provide food instead. |
| Habhab woke up early for suhoor and stayed up until around 3 p.m. She napped until 5 p.m. and then joined a study group until the iftar. |
| Ramadan is a period of reflection and devotion that includes daily fasting from sunrise to sunset. The iftar is a meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset. |
