Ramadan 2025: Where does suhoor end as iftar begins elsewhere?

A muezzin’s call echoes through the city of one million people as a first light of dawn strikes Rajshahi in Bangladesh, signaling the end of suhoor as families finish their egg parathas, flaky flatbreads stuffed with spiced scrambled eggs, before getting ready for the Fajr prayer.

Families gather around tables as the sun sets on the opposite side of the globe in New York City as the sun sets for the first time to pray for the breaking of their 13-hour fast.

(Al Jazeera)

This contrast, where one city begins to fast as another ends, is a stark reminder of how geography and time zones affect the duration of Ramadan. There is always a city that serves up suhoor or iftar as the world changes, with millions of Muslims serving these foods at various times.

a global series of fasting events

Each day actually gets a little longer for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, with suhoor beginning earlier and iftar coming later. The Southern Hemisphere experiences the opposite, with shorter days and shorter days.

One of Islam’s five pillars is the Ramadan, which is practiced by Muslims as a sacrifice and a means of spiritual purification through good deeds and charity.

Being pious and self-restrained is a key component of a person’s taqwa, which is developed through fasting.

Cities moving from east to west are depicted in the diagrams below, showing which cities are beginning their fasts and which are breaking them.