What Ramadan tradition uses a cannon shot to announce the start of iftar?

The Ramadan tradition that uses a cannon shot to announce the start of iftar is the Iftar Cannon. A cannon traditionally fires at sunset, around the Maghrib prayer, signaling that Muslims may end the day’s fast and eat.

The practice began as a practical public announcement in places where clocks, radios, and other mass communication were unavailable or unreliable. A loud report could be heard across a city, helping people recognize the time for breaking the fast. Today, accurate prayer timetables and electronic media have made the cannon largely symbolic, but ceremonial firings remain part of Ramadan in several countries.

The tradition is also called the Ramadan Cannon or, in Arabic, madfa al-iftar, meaning the cannon of breaking the fast. It should not be confused with a bell or a suhur drum: those are different sounds or traditions associated with religious or daily timekeeping.

Historical accounts differ about exactly when the custom began. Some place its origin in Mamluk-era Cairo, while another widely repeated account connects it with Muhammad Ali’s 19th-century Egypt. The shared point is that Egypt is strongly associated with the custom’s early history and spread.