Stories related to Egypt’s ‘Ramadan Cannon’

Cannons have been used for years in many Islamic countries, including Egypt, to announce the moon sighting of Suhr and Iftar and Eid during Ramadan.

A cannon installed in the Sultan Salah al-Din Ayyubid Fort in Egypt was also used for the first time in 1467 for Suhoor and Iftar times, which continued to function for several centuries, but was discontinued 30 years ago due to technical malfunctions. was

However, recently the cannon has been repaired and made usable again.

Egyptian Department of Antiquities and Historical Sites Assistant Minister Iman Zeidan told Al Arabiya.net that the Ministry of Tourism and Archeology has repaired and reactivated the old cannon.

This cannon is installed in Salah al-Din Ayyubi Fort and it used to fire a shell at the time of sunset or breaking the fast.

Iman Zaidan said that this cannon is a symbol of keeping alive the old ways of Suhoor and Iftar, so it has been developed with the help of modern technology and now the cannon emits rays that can be seen far away during Suhoor and Iftar. are

Dr. Osama Talaat, chairman of Egypt’s Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Archeology Department, said that many stories are known about the Ramadan Cannon. Most famously, this cannon was first placed in the city of Cairo.

He said that this cannon is said to have been installed during the reign of the Mamluk king Khushkadam, which was first fired in 1467 to announce iftar.

Announcing the time of breaking the fast by firing a cannonball was surprising to the people. Seeing this, the people came to the Sultan and thanked him for this ‘good innovation’.

According to another tradition, this cannon was installed by the soldiers of Khedive Ismail who used it for drills. The first shot from this cannon was fired at sunset in Ramadan. On this occasion, Alhaja Fatima, the daughter of Khadevi Ismail, proposed the announcement of breaking the fast by firing a cannonball.

After that, this cannon was also used to wake up for Suhoor and announce the days of Eid.