What is the special nightly prayer performed during Ramadan?

The special nightly prayer performed during Ramadan is Tarawih.

Tarawih, also spelled Taraweeh, is a set of voluntary or highly recommended night prayers associated specifically with Ramadan. It is usually performed after the obligatory Isha prayer and before Witr, often in congregation at a mosque.

The prayers are characterized by extended recitation of the Qur’an. Many congregations aim to complete a full Qur’an during Ramadan by reciting roughly one juz’ each night. The number of prayer cycles, or rak‘ahs, varies: eight and twenty are especially common practices.

Islamic traditions describe Muhammad praying at night during Ramadan and briefly leading such prayers in congregation. Caliph Umar is traditionally associated with organizing worshippers behind a single imam. Tarawih should not be confused with Isha, the obligatory night prayer, Fajr, the dawn prayer, or Witr, which commonly follows it. Practices and legal opinions differ among Sunni and Shi’a communities.