The city of Mosul is located in northwestern Iraq, and is distributed on both banks of the Tigris River, and is the center of Nineveh Governorate, and is considered the second largest city in Iraq in terms of area and population after the capital, Baghdad, as it is today inhabited by about 5 million people, most of whom are Sunni Arabs, and there are many minorities of Kurds, Turks, Yazidis and Turkmen, and Christians from different sects.

It has historically been an important cultural metropolis, a major trade center between East and West, North and South alike, and like Aleppo in Syria, it was an ancient trade route between China and Europe, and a major point on the famous Silk Road, perhaps derived from this prestigious position that it occupies geographically and historically. It receives Ramadan like other Arab and Islamic cities, as soon as the month of Ramadan is announced, this city begins the rituals of receiving the holy month.

In joy at the beginning of the holy month, children go out to fill the alleys and streets of Mosul with hustle and joy

As part of the series "Ramadan and a City", produced and broadcast by Al Jazeera Documentary in Ramadan, an interesting episode was devoted to the city of Mosul, in which it reviewed the conditions of the people of the city, their various activities and events, in welcoming and bidding farewell to the month of fasting.

Hilal Ramadan. The month of Takbir and cheering that never sleeps

When the sighting of the crescent in Mosul is proven, the minarets of the city begin to magnify, cheer and welcome this holy month, and children go out filling the alleys and streets with noisiness and joy, carrying Ramadan lanterns in their hands to express their joy at receiving the month of fasting, and adults hang decorative lamps, and carry dates and types of sweets distributed to passers-by to rejoice in Ramadan and announce the start of fasting from tomorrow.

Mosul is known for its mahlabiya (muhallabiya), a type of dessert made from buffalo milk and corn starch

Maysar al-Shikhawi, a Mosul dignitary, said: "People do not sleep on Ramadan nights, as immediately after breaking the fast, children go out to alleys and squares, people pray taraweeh, families visit and adults stay up until it is time for suhoor."

Qasid al-Najmawi, a researcher in the Mosuli heritage, says: In the past, there were no printed imsakiyat telling us about the dates of constipation and iftar, so the muezzin used to climb the minaret, or call out on the loudspeaker "respect for the nation of Muhammad is respect", repeated by thrice, which means that this is the time to refrain from food.

Ramadan preparations. The blessings of the holy month revive the markets

Bab al-Saray is a popular market in Mosul's Old City, where women go to buy cooking supplies from spices, grains and various liquids, to vegetables, fruits, meat and dates.

Mosulis boast of mint raisin juice, which is unique to Mosul over the rest of Iraq's cities

Preparations for the Ramadan begin a week before its arrival, and people go to the markets to buy the needs of Ramadan food, such as bulgur, jareesh and rashta, and buy raisins, tamarind, licorice and spices. Mosul is famous for its mahlabiya (muhallabiya), a type of sweets originally from Aleppo, Syria, which you do not find in the southern provinces of Iraq, and it is made from buffalo milk, corn starch and some flavorings.

The work of the shops in the Ramadan does not stop day or night, and this is from the pool of Ramadan, as some traders describe it, and the market spreads sellers of juices and refreshments, so they squeeze raisins after grinding and mixing it with mint, to get out of it a delicious moisturizing drink, boasted by the Mosulis in all cities of Iraq and others.

"Being close to him gives me peace and tranquility." Al Basha Mosque

One of the landmarks of Mosul is the Al-Basha Mosque, in which worshipers feel calm and tranquil, as it has preserved its ancient heritage, where the majestic pulpit and the humble mihrab, and since ISIS took control of the city, it has destroyed these landmarks in other mosques, under the pretext that it is heresy. The mosque is associated with the name of the governor Hussein Pasha al-Jalili.

Al-Basha Mosque, built in the name of the governor "Hussein Pasha Al-Jalili", who repelled Nader Shah's invasion of the city of Mosul

Sheikh Zakir al-Hassawi, the imam and preacher of the Pasha Mosque, mentioned the story of the man who did not pray, then moved from the left bank of the Tigris River to the right bank, and when asked about the reason, he told them so that I would be close to the Pasha Mosque, and they said to him: But you do not pray in it, and he said: Just being close to him gives me tranquility and tranquility that I cannot find anywhere else.

The dolma adorns the Iftar tables of Mosul, and consists of grape leaves stuffed with rice, and other stuffed cucumbers as well, and the tables are also not without lentils and fries, which are basic dishes on the Mosul Iftar table, and the people of the neighborhood may gather in the square at Iftar and share their food at the same table.

Samar games. Entertainment, humor and melodies from the Mosul heritage

Mosulis are entertained with traditional games such as the game of fur, which is a popular game they play in Ramadan in particular, and special patrols are held in the neighborhoods between multiple teams, and it consists of a group of copper cups lined up on a round tray, and one team hides a piece of metal under one of the cups, and the other team must find the piece as soon as possible.

"Fleeing" is a popular game played by the people of Mosul in the month of Ramadan

In Ramadan, there is a lot of tanning and listening to religious songs and muwashahat, performed by singing teams accompanied by beatings on tambourines. There is also a game in which the team consists of a large number of men, between 30 and 40 men.

The game relies on hiding a ring or a metal ring with one of the people in the team, and the leader of the second team, who usually has intuition, physiognomy and quick-wittedness, is required to identify the person who hides the ring, and usually relies on provocation and provoking the nerves of the opposing team, until the one with the trap is confused, and it looks like signs of trying to hide something, "The suspicious almost says take me."

The game "Mahbas" in which each team consists of a large number of men and depends on intuition, physiognomy and quick wit

One of the activities of Samar in this holy month is the storyteller, and they call him in Mosul "the story is Khon", and the first word is Arabic, which is the story or story, while the word Khun is Persian and means the narrator, and the stories are usually from the ancient heritage and Arabic or local proverbs, and there is wisdom or message that the storyteller wants to convey to the listeners.

One of Samar's activities is the "downloads", which are religious muwashahat, and this type of tarab is attributed to Mullah Othman al-Mawsili.

The brutality of terrorism. Bad hands reach the Prophet's shrine

The people of Mosul have a special attachment to the mosque and shrine of the Prophet Jonah, especially during the month of Ramadan, and this type of sanctification is not specific to the people of Mosul specifically, but to all the people of northern Iraq and even the Turks, they come to this place for blessing, especially during the Hajj season for the Turks, and ISIS blew up part of the shrine in July 2014, while they were taking control of the city of Mosul.

An architect creates virtual three-dimensional images of the landmarks of the destroyed city of Mosul

Architect Maysar Naseer strives to create virtual three-dimensional images of the landmarks of the city of Mosul, especially those that were damaged by the war, so he combines images of the rest of these places, with the images kept by the people of the city before the destruction occurs, and tries to build three-dimensional electronic images of the landmarks, and restore the damage electronically, perhaps one day it will be restored on the truth.

"Make it prettier." Consoling orphans in the last ten days

Salam Zidan tells us about volunteer work, and he is from the "Khaloha Ajmal" volunteer team, he says: We are active in the last ten days with orphans, every day of the last ten we collect a hundred orphans, so that the total number that we dealt with until the end of the Ramadan is a thousand orphans, they spend a whole day with them, and let them choose Eid clothes themselves, and draw a smile on their foreheads with recreational activities that bring them pleasure and compensate them for some of what they lost with orphans.

"Khaloha Ajmal" volunteer team is active in the last ten days with orphans

At the end of Ramadan, women are also active in making popular sweets that will be served on the morning of Eid al-Fitr, and the most famous of these sweets is "kleja", which is the dough of flour or semolina with types of spices such as cardamom seeds, and stuffed with dates, coconut and brown walnuts "walnuts", then grilled in the oven, and has a pungent smell, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Mosul woman preparing the dough of the dessert "Kleja"

"Farewell, farewell, Ramadan, month of mercy and forgiveness"

The night of the twenty-seventh is a night witnessed in the mosques of Mosul, especially in the Al-Amin Mosque, which is visited by young people, elders, women and children, from all over the city, and attracted by the voices and throats of young women, as if they had come to the Psalms of David in the sweetness of her voice, and there people pray Taraweeh eight rak'ahs, and then some of them go to homes and markets, while the rest retreat in the mosque until after the dawn prayer, read the Qur'an and rise at night.

On the Night of Power, the mosques of Mosul commemorate the Sunnah of Qiyaam, and worshippers flock to pray and pray to God in the hope of acceptance

On the night of Eid, the muezzins shout on the minarets: "Farewell, farewell, O Ramadan, O month of mercy and forgiveness, O month of praise and lullaby", farewell phrases that irritate the soul of the beast of separation and longing until these divine nights are repeated, in which mercy spreads and tranquility prevails. On the day of Eid, the takbeers of worshipers start from the mosques, in one pattern and maqam that distinguishes the people of Mosul, which is the maqam of the Jaharkah, which is taken from the maqam of the ajam.

Mosul children rejoice at Eid

The Ramadan left in the hearts a lump and sorrow over his separation, which is not forced and mitigated except by the advent of Eid al-Fitr, the day of the prize on which the great Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The fasting person has two joys, a joy when he breaks his fast, and a joy on the day of meeting his Lord." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was right.