The Musaharati 'Wakes up' in Ramadan

ALBAWABA - The Musaharati is a tradition in the Arab and Muslim world in Ramadan. The Musaharati is a man who goes around different neighborhoods in cities and town with his drums waking people up for Suhur - the meal they eat before starting the fast which begins in the first dawn prayers. 

Ramadan drummers who awaken the faithful for their pre-dawn meal are dying out across the Muslim world but the tradition lives on in Syria’s capital and many other Arab cities from Cairo, Sidon, Gaza to Baghdad, despite growing reliance on smart phones, the Arab Weekly points out. 

What follows is different images of the traditional Musaharati. The first starting in the streets of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

And then there is the Musharati of Syria like Abu Hasan Al Rashi. A 60 year-old man he is one of the 30 Musaharati left in Damascus.

Then there is an interesting take on the musaharati, a different angle, just to add some innovation. One tweet and as quoted is: Our student teaching is reading “Drummer Girl,” a story about a girl during Ramadan, who wants to be a Musaharati, a role traditionally done by a man, who beats a drum just before dawn to wake Muslims for suhoor. We then see a a real life woman musaharati playing her drum!

Then there is the Musaharati of Gaza who is incorporating a tribute to Jenin in his morning drum and echo, waking the faithfulls.

More of Gaza in the next take, pointing out a 50-year-old Palestinian Nizar al-Dabbas, a "Musaharati" plays the traditional role of  the "Ramadan drummer", in Khan Yunis in the southern part of Strip.