Khor Al Mukalla by Night

Ramadhan is on. And it's the Khor, where many residents of Al'Mukalla - men, women, the elderly and children - prefer to come to in the evenings and at nights, and spend a quiet time after the iftar and the last taraweeh prayers of the day. Qat chewing, the very much cherished Yemeni pass time - is prohibited all along the Khor, all the time. The absence of qat chewers and the attention to cleanliness along the water canal, by the local municipal authority, has made both sides of the Khor -
the tidiest in Al'Mukalla.



Before the start of Ramadhan, it's common, very early in the morning after dawn, to find many women exercising, walking up and down along the Khor. Women around, have realized that being inactive and overweight, is a prerequisite to having physical and health problems - so many have benefited from exercising along the Khor. Men too do use the canal for walking exercises; but most prefer being in the restaurants, by the sides of the canal, in the evenings - taking tea or smoking shisha.

It's reported that during last July and the beginning of last month, about one million people visited Al'Mukalla from other parts of Yemen and from the neighboring countries - mainly to benefit from the surrounding sea water; it's believed that swimming or dipping in the cool sea just after sunrise, during that period - have medicinal and healing values. But many too came visiting Al'Mukalla, to spend evenings and nights along the beaches and, especially, by the Khor.

Comments

Jed Carosaari said…
Ramadan Mu barack!
Anonymous said…
This is amazing. I miss all the adhaans and the *feel* of Ramadhan especially during this time :(. sf
Anonymous said…
SF: Insha Allah you will be able to visit Hadhramout.

The problem with the Ramadhan season now, here - is that: it has become too commercialised. People are spending too much, unnecessarily. The shopping is mostly done at nights.
Jed Carosaari said…
The same complaint is often made about Christmas here in America.
Anonymous said…
I know eh! Same thing with Mombasa, I remember the last time(10 yrs ago), they would open up the stores on the last 10 days of ramadhan. Now I heard that they do it like the second week. Young and old would be out and about instead of doing ibadah or simply spending time home with family. Lots of food is cooked and thrown out the next day to make new dishes, it's simply horrible and wasteful. I was in Dubai during one ramadhan and I was SHOCKED! People were overdressed, subhanallah, it just *kills* the importance of ramadhan. Our ramadhan here is okay, alhamdulilah but you don't really *feel* it, well, unless I talk to my friends and we ask each other what we are cooking,lol. The days are longer so we break fast at almost 8pm. Next year, it will be in the peak of summer, everyone is thinking(or dreading) that. Inshallah Allah would give us strength to complete our fasts. sf

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