Qatar gets a third Ramadan cannon this year, at Katara

All photos by Reem Saad

As part of its Ramadan Festival this year, Katara Cultural Village has added a cannon to its beach premises to ring in iftar time.

It is the third cannon that goes off at sunset each day during the holy month in Qatar to let Muslims know that it’s time to break their fast.

Other locations include a cannon in the Old Airport area and, most popularly, one at the Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque (state mosque) near TV Roundabout.

Yesterday, large crowds could be seen at the state mosque, where children climbed on the cannon before people were asked to step back for their safety and soldiers fired off the device.

Once the cannon was fired, most residents retreated to their cars, ready to go home to break their fast with their families.

Meanwhile, at Katara, the cannon is located on its beach premises, right across from the ice cream shop Casa Del Gelato. Its cannon is smaller in size than the one at the state mosque and is surrounded by fences for security reasons.

This month, the village is also holding a festival called “Human Creation in the Holy Quran,” which features exhibitions, live events and competitions that aim to teach young Muslims the Quran’s take on human creation. More information can be found at Katara’s website.

Who’s going to check out the cannons? Thoughts?