The traditional Ramadan drummer who wakes people for suhoor is called a musaharati.
A musaharati, also spelled mesaharati or musahharati, is a public waker who travels through neighborhoods before dawn during Ramadan. The name is connected with suhur, the pre-dawn meal eaten before the day's fast begins. In the classic version of the tradition, the caller beats a drum, chants or sings, and sometimes calls residents by name.
The custom became a familiar part of Ramadan life across the Middle East and beyond. It has been documented in Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In some places the role passes from father to son, making the drummer a recognizable community figure rather than merely an alarm service.
Modern clocks, phones, loudspeakers, and broadcast schedules have reduced the need for musaharatis, especially in cities. Yet the practice survives in some historic districts because it carries communal and cultural meaning. A muazzin calls Muslims to prayer, while a musaharati specifically helps wake them for suhoor and the approaching dawn prayer.