Beginning of Holy Month of Ramadan Across the Globe in Photos

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims observe the holy fast. Ramadan coincides with different months of the Gregorian calendar.

Observing the fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is aimed at bringing Muslims closer to God. The faithful abstain from eating and drinking during the daytime in order to feel the sufferings of those less fortunate. During this month Muslims often give money to charity and help the hungry.

During Ramadan the faithful exercise self-restraint and try to spiritually detoxify, that is why they also have to refrain from sexual relationships and bad habits. Fasting is obligatory for adults.

On Wednesday, millions of Muslims marked the beginning of Ramadan, which is due to end on June 14 this year. Our gallery offers a look at how people across the globe were preparing for Islam's holiest time.

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Muslim women at the first Taraweeh evening prayer on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at the Nizamiye Mosque in Midrand, Johannesburg.

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Shiite worshippers gather near the golden-domed shrine of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, in the background, to mark the beginning of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq.

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Iranian cleric Mohammad Hossein Dehsorkhi gestures to the sky as he tries to spot the moon that signals the start of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the Imam Ali observatory about 28 miles (45 kilometers) outside the holy city of Qom, south of the capital Tehran, Iran.

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The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi as Muslims prepare to start the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

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Pakistani Muslims attend a special "Taraweeh" evening prayer on the first day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at the Grand Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.

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A Bosnian Muslim man loads fireworks mortar, in old town of Sarajevo.

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A vendor makes sweets at a traditional factory ahead of the upcoming holy fasting month of Ramadan in Kabul, Afghanistan.

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Muslim women attend prayers on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Al-Akbar Mosque, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia.

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Traditional Ramadan lanterns called "fanous" are displayed for sale at a market before the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Cairo.

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A Muslim woman touches prayer beads during Taraweeh prayers at Eyup Sultan Cultural Center on the first day of Ramadan in Brooklyn, New York, US.

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A man in Ottoman attire poses for pictures as people break their fast in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul.

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A Palestinian youth waves a sparkler next a mosque in Gaza City as the faithful prepare to start the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.