It’s Ramadan out there. Out there, behind the curtains.

Ramadan commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to The Prophet Muhammad, and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Shacks operate behind curtains, selling hot tea and sometimes food. Men gather to smoke and hide from Ramadan. I’m often greeted with startled looks, as I take a place on a bench and ask for tea. Always the only woman.

Nothing is to be consumed from 3:30am to 7.00pm; when the first note of the call to prayer breaks the fast.

Then there is that tense moment, looking at the food and waiting for the muezzin to make the call to prayer. This signifies Iftar. The evening meal.

Men sit around large plastic tubs on the street and share food for Iftar.

Friends and family unite to eat together.