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What is an Imsakiyya?
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are enjoined to fast from dawn to dark every day. How do you keep track of the times? Since the era of print, Muslims have relied on printed timetables, called Imsakiyyat, which literary means stopping times. The first timetable was designed and published in the time of Muhammad Ali Pasha in Egypt in 1846; Muhammad Ali established the first indigenous Arabic printing press in the Arab Muslim world and the first government press. From then on, timetables would be published daily and weekly in newspapers. More recently, Muslim organizations and commercial enterprises produce beautiful cards, magnets or apps each year. These timetables usually include the five daily prayers and highlight those prayer times that signify the beginning and end of each day's fast.
This year's Imsakiyya is inspired by the decorative banners of Arabic newspapers and journals in Ottoman and Mandatory Palestine. These historical titles and more can be found at the Jrayed digital archive
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Explore more about the month of Ramadan here