Ramadan fast-breaking tents bring poor and rich together

İstanbul will host more than 100 Ramadan iftar tents, with more than 300,000 people expected to break fasts with their community in the municipality-funded tents at a cost of nearly $15 million throughout Ramadan.

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality has erected fast-breaking tents in Eminönü, Avcılar, Bakırköy, Kadıköy, Beşiktaş, Şişli, Şirinevler, Büyükçekmece, Aksaray and Taksim squares. Other local district municipalities will organize iftar dinners separately.

In general, people need to wait in line for two hours beforehand to eat at an iftar tent. Half an hour before the time to break the fast, when the evening call to prayer is recited, people are allowed in the tent to get their seats. Those who cannot find a seat are given a take-home dinner package. The fast is broken as the imam calls the evening prayer. Some tents are self-service, and people get their food from a buffet set-up before bringing it to their table. However in other tents, due to the crowds, waiters serve people quickly and efficiently. It takes no more than 15 minutes to finish dinner, because everyone is so hungry after fasting all day, and as people clear their plates they swiftly leave the tent for evening and night prayers. Following the night prayers, cultural and religious activities including seminars, conferences, panel discussions and other activities are available in and around the iftar tents.

Bağcılar district Ramadan tent is a small city

Almost every city and district has a Ramadan iftar tent, a 15-year-old tradition. Turkey's largest Ramadan fast-breaking tent, in Bağcılar, continues in its 14th year of bringing rich and poor together.

One of the first municipalities to erect a Ramadan fast-breaking tent in İstanbul, the Bağcılar Municipality has hosted a fast-breaking tent for 14 years, but what makes the tent unique is its Ramadan cultural and religious festivities. The Ramadan tent not only provides food but also cultural and religious activities, with a high level of turnout. Every night, with the participation of scholars and religious figures like Talha Uğurluel, Faruk Beşer and Cemil Tokpınar, conferences, panels and concerts aim to make the nights of Ramadan more communal and colorful. For instance, one of Turkey's best Quran recitors, Fatih Çolak, held a Quran reading for Bağcılar residents on Thursday night.

The outside of the Ramadan tent is as colorful as the inside. There are nearly 100 stands outside the tent, with a variety of services and products for fast-breaking people. Ramadan activities take place in a 24,000-square-meter area, of which 1,250 square meters is enclosed by the tent. One of the largest Ramadan tents in the world, Bağcılar's iftar tent is fitted with four big air conditioners this year, as Ramadan is in August. In addition, there are cafés, book fairs and car parks in the area where Ramadan activities take place. Organizers have not forgotten children, either. While parents break their fast in the tent, children play in the Luna park, set up over 10,000 square meters. The Bağcılar Municipality has also built a wooden mosque with an imam to lead night and taraweeh prayers.

Resembling a small city, the Bağcılar Ramadan tent brings together nearly 2,500 people every night. Each day is sponsored by a business operating in the Bağcılar area. Nearly TL 8,000 is spent on the food for the iftar meal each day. Approximately TL 400,000 in total will be spent to provide dinner for Bağcılar people during Ramadan. Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, Ahmet Ocaklı of the Bağcilar Municipality's media department, said: “Nearly 3,000 people come here for iftar. For those who cannot sit for the dinner, we have a take-home package dinner for them.” Noting that the tent is Turkey's largest Ramadan tent, Ocaklı said: “Every day we host different people from Turkish cultural and religious life, who enlighten people. In addition, we have charity bazaars outside the tent. The profits go to charities in the area.”

Ocaklı also explained that the first municipality to start the Ramadan tent tradition was the Üsküdar Municipality, 15 years ago. Only one year later, the Bağcılar Municipality kicked off its first Ramadan fast-breaking tent. “Since then, the tent has developed year by year. Thirty security cameras constantly record both inside and outside the tent. Four large air conditioners make the in-tent atmosphere comfortable,” Ocaklı added.

Enjoying an iftar dinner in the Bağcılar tent, Metin Bayar, 23, said he had a chance to have dinner at home, but he loves the atmosphere here so he found himself under the tent, breaking his fast. Noting that the tent has improved since last year, he said the organization was well executed, the food was delicious and everything worked perfectly so far. Sümeyye Teyze, having dinner with her family and friends, said she loves the atmosphere in the tent and that her children prefer having dinner in the tent rather than eating at home.

Web of Ramadan dinner tents all over Turkey

Orhan Nurduhan, a businessman in Bitlis, in eastern Turkey, will host a fast-breaking dinner in that town for 1,500 people every day. Konya's Ereğli district municipality hosts 2,000 people a day in an iftar tent in the city center. The Turkish Red Crescent's Diyarbakır branch delivers dinners in the mornings, to avoid traffic jams, to 6,200 people a day. The cost of the delivered dinners is TL 120,000 each night. The Sivas Municipality has developed a tradition of serving dinner every day for 1,000 people. The Şişli Municipality's first fast-breaking dinner brought members of three religions together under one tent. Representatives of different religions delivered messages of peace and brotherhood. Unlike in previous years, the Yozgat city municipality provided iftar in an empty building this year rather than in a tent. The Diyarbakır Municipality organized fast-breaking dinners in four spots throughout the city. The Adapazarı and Uşak fast-breaking tents have received 500 people nightly for their dinners this year so far. Osmaniye and Mersin will also serve fast-breaking dinners, for 1,000 and 400 people, respectively.

Some unique fast-breaking projects   

In the Gaziosmanpaşa district of İstanbul, the municipality is organizing fast-breaking street dinners instead of iftar tents. With the street dinners, the municipality will deliver dinners in 10 different neighborhoods for 25,000 people every day.

The Esenler Municipality has an “Alo İftar” (Hello, fast-breaking) hotline, for those who are unable to prepare dinner due to their work. They will have an opportunity to get free dinner from the municipality. There are also home iftar delivery services in Esenler. The most outstanding activity in Esenler, undoubtedly, will be its world's longest iftar table. Nearly 2 kilometers long, the Esenler Municipality will organize a table for a communal dinner on Sept. 5 only. The aim is not deliver dinner packages to citizens but to bring them together. People who planned to have their dinners at their homes, offices or restaurants will bring their food to the street. This is meant to promote unity and brotherhood among the district. Konya's Selçuklu district municipality will organize “mobile fast-breaking teams” instead of Ramadan fast-breaking tents. Mobile teams will be available in areas in proportion to expected crowds and will deliver 1,000 dinners every day. The municipality says this is more hygienic than an iftar tent.