Russia: How to observe Ramadan living in a polar city with 24 hours of daylight

The congregation of the Noorda Kamal Mosque, Russia’s most northerly Islamic place of worship, continued to observe the holy month of Ramadan despite extremely long daylight hours in the city of Norilsk, Monday. Traditionally during Ramadan Muslims abstain from eating during daylight hours but Norilsk experiences almost 24 hours of sunlight in June. Therefore the fasting period is oriented according to the time of the nearest mosque, situated in Lesosibirsk in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, allowing Muslims to eat between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. local time. The most popular dishes for breaking the Sawm, the Arabic term for the period of fasting in Ramadan, among the Muslims of Norilsk are fish dishes. Noorda Kamal Mosque is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the most northerly-situated mosque in the world. Its architecture differs from traditional mosque designs: Instead of the traditionally round shape, Norilsk’s minaret tower has a square base which helps it to be more wind and frost resistant. The mosque was built by the businessman Mukhtad Bekmeyev, an ethnic Tatar, who was born in Norilsk.