International students living in the Turkish capital of Ankara observe and experience Ramadan away from the traditions and conveniences of their homelands as they recall memories with family and close friends.
The Muslim faithful fast from dawn to dusk to mark the holy month. For many, it is a time to gather with friends and family to have iftar, a dinner to mark the breaking of the daily fast.
"I did not find an opportunity to observe Ramadan back in Somalia with my family, but after some time, I started feeling at home here," Abukar Sadi Mohamud said about the last eight years.
"I think I have a family here in Asma Köprü International Student Association in Ankara and do not feel alone. Almost every year, I have enjoyed Ramadan there with dozens of overseas students from different customs," said the Ph.D. student in Business Administration at Yıldırım Beyazıt University.
Sadi Mohamud said if it is the first year and spending Ramadan alone for the first time, you might face various hurdles.
He said fasting in Türkiye is very difficult because the fast is long compared to Somalia. It is around 15 or 16 hours some years.
Despite missing home, he said he enjoys tasting different dishes. "You should turn the difficulty into opportunity. I do not feel foreign in Türkiye. I adapted to everything."
Mohamud said being away from your family is "another challenge during Ramadan. So I miss many things back in my home country, especially our traditional food which we do not have here."
During Ramadan, which is also time for charity and spiritual reflection, Muslims spend their time and energy on worship, reciting the Quran, communal prayer and fasting.
Danish Punjabi, who is pursuing his postdoctoral research at Yıldırım Beyazıt University, is observing his second Ramadan in Türkiye.
Observing and experiencing the holy month in Türkiye differs from my country, said Punjabi, from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
"I saw some of the differences here. Like, even though apparently it seems that some people do not fast, but yeah, so many people fast because I saw restaurants in so many other places where people come in rampantly during the normal period of the year, but during Ramadan, it's not that much crowded. So yeah, it's good. It's different for me," he said.
In many cultures, community iftars are hosted to break the fast with family and friends. Punjabi said he sees a lot of engagement in the activity, like iftar in Türkiye.
"They also give food packets offered by the government. That is good to see. One day, when I was walking, there was a minibus and they gave me that packet and said you could have it. I said what is it for. They said you could break your fast with it. It is for Iftar, specifically for this Iftar. So, this was different for me," he added.
He said about the difficulties of cooking meals every day: "It is difficult obviously because when you're with your family, they prepare everything even though you can help them get some stuff. But most of the thing is done by your parents, your mother, especially. So when you are away from your house, you must do stuff yourself. And as a student, I understand this, and it makes sense."
Mechanical engineering student at Ostim Technical University in Ankara, Muhammad Sulaiman Muhammad, said: "This is the first time that I am observing Ramadan away from my country and family. I came to Türkiye just three months ago."
"Normally, back in my country, before iftar, we come together with friends and family to break the fast," said Muhammad from Nigeria. "In Ankara, that is my first time eating together with foreigners. Trying to understand the culture is good also."
He praised Turkish cuisine and said Türkiye and Nigeria have very different food cultures and tastes. "What we are eating in Nigeria is different than what you are eating in Türkiye during Ramadan."
Regarding the emotional aspect of spending Ramadan away from home, medical student Omer Krasniqi from Kosovo said: "I was shocked. I have never seen in my country a lot of people having iftar at the same time."
Residing in a student housing facility in Asma Köprü, first-year Krasniqi from Yıldırım Beyazıt University said, "Here you can see more than a hundred people during iftar at the same gathering. This is good to see.
"During Ramadan, being in Türkiye is really awesome. This is my third Ramadan in Ankara. Especially, having the iftar with people from different backgrounds is really awesome," he said.
