Muslims in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil prayed on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan at the Haji Abdullah Jawan Mosque. 

With the arrival of Ramadan, mosques in the Kurdistan Region experience heavier traffic as the Region’s majority Muslim population turns to prayer. 

Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity and performing the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a three-day holiday called Eid al-Fitr.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (Hijri), during which followers of the religion abstain from eating and drinking starting from dawn to dusk.