Countdown To Ramadan: Pakistan's Spiritual Preparations Begin

In Karachi, a man diligently cleans a mosque on March 11 in preparation for Ramadan.

The holiest month in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is marked by devout Muslims worldwide who observe fasting from dawn until dusk, abstaining from food, drink, and intimate relations during daylight hours.

 

Mosques throughout Pakistan were given a thorough cleaning in preparation.

It is believed that during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, the first verse of the Koran was revealed.

A man tries on a traditional cap that will be used for praying during the holy month in Peshawar.


 

In Karachi, street vendors were busily preparing traditional food.

Members of the the Central Ruet-e-Hilal, Pakistan's Islamic moon-sighting committee, pray as they gather with other religious scholars to observe the moon in Quetta.
 

The crescent moon is seen with a scale at the Sindh High Court in Karachi on March 11.

In Peshawar, a member of the moon-sighting committee is silhouetted as he uses a theodolite, a surveyor's instrument, to look for the new moon.

After the sighting of the crescent moon, the committee announced the beginning of Ramadan for March 12.
 

At a mosque in Karachi, Muslims began to arrive to perform the special nightly prayer called Tarawih to mark the holy fasting month.
 

Mosques across Pakistan, such as this one in Lahore, were filled with worshippers.

A young boy prays outside a mosque in Karachi.