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Muslims from around the world have begun their first day of Ramadan – the holiest month in the Islamic calendar – where followers fast from sunrise to sunset each day.
The first day of Ramadan, which is determined by the sighting of the first crescent moon, has fallen this year on the 23 March.
This is an auspicious times for the Muslim community to focus on prayers and taking part in community action, as well as helping loved-ones in need.
This evening, British Muslims across the nation broke their fast in a nightly event lasting until the end of Ramadan called Iftar.
The fast is traditionally broken after sunset with dates and water, or milk, followed by dinner in large gatherings or within families.
This year, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan illuminated the capital’s famous Coventry Street with special Ramadan lights to mark the Muslim festival this year, for the first time.
Muslims sit together to enjoy a free public Iftar meal during the first day of Ramadan at Sheikh Abdul qader Gilani mosque in Baghdad, Iraq
A young Ukrianan boy wearing a skull cap eats from a small pot of food during Iftar at the Ar-Rahma Mosque in Kyiv, celebrating the first day of Ramadan amid the Russian invasion
Muslims living in a tent camp in Syria, across all generations, including an infant cradled in a woman’s lap, sit down on a blanket to enjoy a vast spread of foods including meats and breads
A Syrian family living in a camp gather around on a blanket placed only meters away from their tent to break their fast over plates of meat, bread and vegetables
Muslims in Ukraine gather in a packed hall to break their fast together over soups and bread rolls amid the humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion
A volunteer in Lahore, Pakistan prepares countless colourful plates filled with pomegranates, dates, samosas and fruits for Muslim devotees to break their fast at the Data Darbar shrine
Women wearing bright printed fabrics in celebration of the holiest month of the Muslim calendar sit down together as volunteers hand out plates of Iftar food in Lahore, Pakistan
Plates of fruits and drinks are placed on a patchwork of blankets laid out on the marble floor of the illuminated Sheikh Abdul qader Gilani mosque in Baghdad, Iraq
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Pictured: Second to the right) attends an Iftar event held at Karacasu container city, in the quake-hit Kahramanmaras province of Turkiye
Volunteers carry a large tray with plates of rice and samosas in Lahore, Pakistan as Muslims sit crossed-legged on grass in neat rows to break their fast together
Muslim devotees of all ages are sat in several rows, facing one another, as they break their fast from sunset in Lahore, Pakistan
Musliums in Lviv, Ukraine break their fast at the Muhammad Asad Islamic Cultural Center amid the ongoing Russian invasion
A volunteer hands out bread from a bowl to a large gathering of Muslims at a mosque, dressed in traditional kurtas (shirts) in a kaleidoscope of colours, in Karachi, Pakistan
Muslims in Peshawar, Pakistan, sit in prayer with breads and large plates of rice circulated as they wait for Iftar
