World Bulletin / News Desk

While the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is celebrated around the world, to some it can prove quite disconcerting to experience it away from the comforts and traditions of home.

For the thousands of African students studying in Turkish cities such as Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, there are tiny differences in the way the month is marked in Turkey.

“Observing the holy month of Ramadan in Turkey is different from that of my home country.” Mayada Kamal Eldeen, a 37-year-old political science PhD student at Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, said.

Mayada, who has been in Turkey for four years, added: “We feel Ramadan deeply in Sudan.”

Despite feeling their absence from home, most overseas students enjoy comparing the different customs in Turkey.

“At home everybody fasts and restaurants do not serve,” Mayada told Anadolu Agency.

“All families with children break their fast, not at home but in neighborhoods. Streets are full of people coming around a table laid on the ground.

“The Tarawih prayer [performed at night during Ramadan] is also attended by a large group of women, men and children together.”

For Kasim Mohammed, 26, has noted a more relaxed attitude to fasting during Ramadan in Turkey.