Makkah's Ramadan cannon on Jabal Al-Midfa (Cannon Mountain) against the backdrop of the Grand Mosque. — Okaz photoIbrahim Khudhair Okaz/Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – During the past 50 years, Makkah residents have been hearing the booming sound of the city's Ramadan cannon. They have become so accustomed to hearing the sound of the cannon that many residents, young and old, do not break their fast until they hear the boom of the cannon, which was used in the past as a sign to break the fast at dusk or begin the fast at dawn. The cannon also heralds the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. This was before the appearance of loudspeakers during a time when mosques did not have electricity and the call to prayer was difficult to hear for people outside its immediate vicinity. The mountain on which the Ramadan cannon is located has been named by Makkah residents as Cannon Mountain (Jabal Al-Midfa). “We were so used to hearing the sound of the Ramadan cannon heralding the beginning of Ramadan and the time to break the fast that some people wouldn't break their fast unless they heard the sound of the cannon. Even on hearing the call to prayer (Adhan), they would still wait for the cannon to sound. The boom of the Ramadan cannon has made it an inseparable part of the holy month, giving the atmosphere a special beauty," said Osama Turki, a longtime resident of Makkah. The cannon's blank shots are prepared for the entire month beforehand. It fires one shot at the time for breaking the fast at dusk (Iftar time), one shot at the time for the last meal (Suhoor) and two shots when it is time to stop eating and drinking (Imsaak time). That brings the total number of shots fired in Ramadan to about 120. In its 50-year life span, the Ramadan cannon has fired about 6,000 shots. Abdullah Al-Raddadi, another resident of Makkah, said that he and his sons have become accustomed to hearing the Ramadan cannon every year, as it is one of the prominent characteristics of Ramadan in Makkah. “We can't imagine Ramadan beginning without the boom of the cannon. Family members used to compete with each other by running to the roof to hear the sound of the cannon at dusk, especially Makkah residents living near Jabal Al-Midfa. All would be gazing in the direction of the mountain waiting to hear the boom, said Al-Raddai. “As for houses far away from the mountain, they used to monitor the cannon on Saudi TV minutes before dusk," he added.
