It is past midnight and silence has gripped the Indian capital, New Delhi.
The cacophony of endless traffic has faded into silence in one of the world’s most populated cities.
But in its oldest quarters, the fascinating Old Delhi, the day has only begun.
The historic alleyways are teeming with people – as hundreds of worshippers returning from the medieval Jama Masjid mix with hordes of diners who have come to experience the spirit of Ramadan.
Cafes and restaurants, especially those offering Ramadan specials, are packed.
Children enjoy a camel ride under a canopy of twinkling lights spread out over the bustling market.
Young couples walk hand-in-hand after enjoying a meal, while groups of women choose from varieties of dates imported from the Middle East for ‘iftar’.
Some end the fast with sheermal, a traditional sweet flatbread, which has its origins in the Middle East.
A heady waft of attar, an oil-based perfume, blended with irresistible aromas of spicy succulent kebabs and the smoke from clay ovens, fill the air.
Old Delhi hardly sleeps at night during the month-long Ramadan.
Cheena Lahot, who came from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar with her family, told The National that “it feels surreal”.
“While most of Delhi sleeps at this hour, look at the fresh faces, people seem to have just woken up. The market comes alive here in the evenings,” she said.
Ramadan spirit
Locally known as Purani Dilli, Old Delhi is the heart of the city, a melting pot of cultures.
It bears testimony to the Indian capital’s centuries-old history − including the opulent Mughal period and British colonial rule – and its credentials as a foodie's paradise.
The walled city was founded by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639, which he named “Shahjahanabad” after himself.
It was a bustling city where people from various religions, mostly Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs, lived.
It was home to one of India’s most prominent Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and courtesans and artists who performed at the Mughal court.
The city served as the seat of power for the Mughals until the end of their dynasty when the British took over the reins and shifted the capital to New Delhi.
Centuries later, Old Delhi has held on to its unique cultural landscape.
It is packed with tourists and food lovers throughout the year, particularly in Bazaar Matia Mahal market where countless cafes and restaurants sell Mughal-inspired dishes.
But it transforms into a unique tapestry of Hindu-Muslim harmony during Ramadan, as people from all religions descend to the area to experience the distinct festival mood.
“Every year during Ramadan we come here to experience the unique evenings. We enjoy the meat dishes. It feels wonderful to see so many people taking part in celebrating this pious month,” Mrs Lahot said.
Ramadan specialities
Food has a religious and cultural significance during the Islamic holy month and Old Delhi is one of the best places to experience this.
From keema samosa, a sambousa-inspired savoury pastry brought to India by Arab traders, to a variety of halwa, another Arab-inspired dessert, and meat dishes, the choices are endless.
But one of the most popular items sold during Ramadan is mohabbat-e-sharbat, or the sherbet of love.
A quintessential bright pink drink, it is made with rooh afza, an ultra-sweet concoction of herbs and fruit with a strong rosy aroma. The cool and sugary drink is made with milk or water and garnished with diced watermelon.
It is believed to provide much-needed energy after a long day of fasting, just like the popular Vimto drink in the Middle East, and is a staple thirst-quencher for Muslims during fasting month.
The popularity of the drink is such that devotees can buy up to a litre of the sherbet to drink it down immediately after the signal for iftar, said Mohammed Khalil.
The 61-year-old sells the drink at his tiny stall every year.
“I sell about 200 glasses of the sherbet every evening. People especially come to drink this. They say it cools their parched throat,” Mr Khalil told The National.
Lucrative business
Although most restaurants remain shut during the day, as people observe a dawn-to-dusk fast, businesses witness a surge in footfall during the evenings.
Restaurants serve food all night and vendors sell their fruits on carts. Temporary stalls selling crockery, household items, bangles, footwear, and caps of different designs and vivid colours also spring up in the crammed market for one month.
One of the famous items is sewaiyan, or vermicelli, a popular fine ‘noodle-like’ dessert served in suhoor in the subcontinent. It is roasted in clarified butter and soaked or boiled in milk.
Women buy raw vermicelli to make it from scratch.
“We sell ten varieties of sewaiyan. It is a popular dessert and there is a huge demand for it. We sell about 300kg of sewaiyan every day,” said Azizul Haq, 51, who has been running his stall for two decades.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Types of policy
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Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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INFO
Everton 0
Arsenal 0
Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
