Iftar Cannon: An Egyptian Ramadan Tradition
Ezz Al-Turkey
For over a century, the words “Iftar cannon, fire!” were words that brought on a wave of relief for millions of Egyptians. It meant that another day of fasting was successful. Egyptians are brought together by this Iftar cannon. It unites people from all areas of life to commemorate the holy month of Ramadan, irrespective of their backgrounds. As a group, they break their fast together at various sites, and the cannon discharge is a moment of communal celebration. For Egyptian Muslims, the blast's sound holds a special meaning as it symbolizes a more innocent era before cellphones and apps made it easy to determine when to break your fast.
There are several stories as to how this charming tradition started. Some historians believe that it originated during the reign of Mamluk Sultan Khaskadam, who sought to test a new cannon and ended up firing it at sunset on the first day of Ramadan in 1467 CE.
People began to believe that the Sultan had fired the cannon on purpose to notify those who were fasting that it was time to break their fast. The Sultan decided to continue firing the cannon every day to signal the hour for breaking the fast after witnessing the large number of people who had flocked to the government seat to express their gratitude for the invention he had brought.
Another tale describes how, while testing one of the cannons during Khedive Ismail's rule, several troops fired a shell that boomed over Cairo's sky. This coincided with the first day of Ramadan's sunset call to prayer (aazan), leading some to believe that the Khedive was announcing the start of a new custom for breaking the fast. After learning about what had transpired, Hajjah Fatima, the daughter of Khedive Ismail, thought it would be a good idea to make firing the cannon a new Ramadan custom. Initially known as the Al Hajjah Fatima cannon, its firing was later added to the Suhoor and official holidays.
The cannon is thought to have undergone many modifications and relocations. Right now, it's on exhibit at Cairo's Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi Citadel's Police Museum plaza. It's a Krupp brand cannon, manufactured in 1871 AD, with two massive wooden wheels with iron frames supporting an iron pipe. Two soldiers operate it; one places the gunpowder and the other fires the shell.
The tradition continued to take place for a century to follow until the Ramadan Cannon was retired sometime in the 1980s. The pause lasted until 2021, when the Ramadan Cannon was once again fired from the plaza of the Police Museum in the Citadel of Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi in Cairo, as it did in the past following an almost 30-year hiatus, per the request of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Even if we can’t hear the sound of the cannon from our homes all over Cairo, just knowing it’s a tradition that lives on, brings a lot of comfort and is an integral part of our Ramadan spirit.