The customs surrounding iftar, the meal that ends each day’s Ramadan fast after sunset, entered UNESCO’s heritage list in 2023 through a multinational nomination from Azerbaijan, Iran, Türkiye and Uzbekistan. The recognition concerns practices surrounding the meal as well as its religious context.
Communal meals often bring families, neighbors and visitors together, with prayer, hospitality, charity and the preparation of traditional dishes contributing to the occasion. Children learn through helping prepare food and observing older relatives. The inscription underlines the social role of an observance that is deeply significant to practicing Muslims.
Original source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2023). View the official heritage record.
Source-linked educational digest; not a reproduction of the original article or a firsthand report.