5,000 Gather in Matareya to Break Ramadan Fast at Egypt’s Largest Iftar
The narrow streets of Ezbet Hamada, a small low-income neighborhood in Matareya in north Cairo, came alive with the sound of traditional Ramadan songs.
There was a palpable air of excitement as thousands of residents prepared for the ninth ‘Ramadan in Matareya’ communal iftar last Thursday.
Held annually, ‘Ramadan in Matareya’ began in 2012 with five friends who sat together for an iftar on a street in Matareya on the 15th day of the holy month, according to the “National News” website.
What was supposed to be an intimate meal turned into an elaborate one after people began to join the meal as the night progressed, Hassan Mehana, 64, a resident of Matareya, told The National.
The year after, the friends decided to make it a bigger event and invited all the residents of Ezbet Hamada. Since then, the communal iftar is held every Ramadan.
This year the banquet was prepared to feed more than 5000, most of whom are residents living in the neighborhood.
People sat side-by-side along tables decorated with Ramadan-patterned cloth running down narrow streets.
The maze of six connecting streets was incredibly crowded last Thursday as diners, food bloggers, camera crews, reporters, and onlookers gathered to witness Egypt’s largest iftar.
Residents of buildings overlooking the iftar tables sat on their balconies and cheerfully clapped as they sang along to the traditional Ramadan songs being played from the PA system which the area’s locals had rented out for the occasion.
