What Ramadan is
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib). It commemorates the revelation of the Qur’an, and includes Laylat al-Qadr, sought within the last ten nights.
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan moves roughly eleven days earlier each Gregorian year. Dates are confirmed by moon sighting, so they are announced rather than fixed far in advance.
The fast
Fasting means abstaining from food, drink, smoking and marital relations between fajr and maghrib. Suhoor is taken before dawn; the fast is broken at maghrib with iftar, traditionally with dates and water.
Exemptions exist — for illness, travel, pregnancy, nursing, menstruation and age — with rules on making up missed days or paying fidyah.
What Umrah in Ramadan is actually like
The atmosphere is unlike anything else — Taraweeh at the Haram, iftar served in the courtyards to hundreds of thousands, and the last ten nights.
It is also the most crowded and most expensive period of the year. Prices run around 70% above a quiet month for an identical package. The mataf is frequently closed to new entrants. You will often pray in the courtyards rather than inside, and a tawaf that takes an hour in October can take three.
None of that is a reason not to go. It is a reason to book early, to stay as close to the Haram as you can afford, and to arrive knowing what to expect rather than discovering it.
Practical advice
- Book six to nine months ahead for Haram-precinct hotels — they go first
- Prioritise distance over star rating. You will walk it several times a day while fasting
- Plan tawaf for the quieter hours, generally after Taraweeh has dispersed or before fajr
- Take rehydration salts. Fasting in 34°C heat with heavy walking is genuinely demanding