Elveda ya Şehr-i Ramazan— a state of mind which denotes a reflection of Istanbul, as Muslims in Turkey go through the last days of this holy month.
Grabbing a photo from that day from his drawer, Yildiz continued: “I came back to Sultanahmet Mosque that night again. When the electric turned on, I saw the illumination saying ‘Happy Conquest’. It was the 29th of May 1975, the anniversary of Istanbul’s conquest. It was gorgeous.” Expressions such as ‘Greetings Oh Ramazan’, ‘Welcome to Ramazan’, ‘Sultan of the Eleven Months’ at the start of the month give way to others including, ‘There is no God but Allah’ and ‘Farewell Oh Month of Ramazan’ towards the end, could be seen in the Istanbul hills.
“Preparations for installing mahya at mosques commence 15 days before the first of Ramadan. Every year I start decorations with Eyup Sultan Mosque. I have a spiritual bond with this mosque. And it is important for me to start with a prayer to Ebu Eyyub el Ensari,” said Yildiz, as his face suddenly became serious and emotional.