Ramadan

Unsurprisingly the calling of the muslim faithful to prayer is a common sound around here.

We are in Ramadan; a month of abstinence. It is a period in which reflection on spiritual matters is encouraged.

It is a holiday period and the main form of abstinence is fasting from sunrise to sunset. At any meetings we hold, we ask if anyone is fasting and ehther they would mind if we had some tea or water. It a festival to be respected.

Of course, sunrise and sunset happens at different times and yesterday our colleague who flew in from Istnabul had to check his iPhone to find out the time in Ankara when he could break his fast. Faster for that length of time in this heat is a significanbt achievement.

Ordinary life continues though the cafes and restaurants are perhaps a little quieter.

The shot is of one of the main mosques in Ankara; it looked splendid against the sky.

Spending a month reflecting on spiritual matters seems like a good thing to do.