In a rare Ramadan scene, residents of a Turkish village experience the exceptional experience of breaking their fast at two different times, even though no more than a few meters separate them.
A narrow road, less than 7 meters wide, divides the village into two administratively belonging to two different governorates, which means that the Maghrib call to prayer times differ by about one minute on each side of the road.
One belongs to the village of “Shin Tepe” in Ordu province facing the Black Sea, and the other belongs to the village of “Anbar Tepe” in the neighboring prefecture of Samsun. This division was not limited to official maps, but was reflected in the details of daily life, especially the timing of breaking the fast during the month of Ramadan.
Separate mosques were built on both sides, according to the official time of the province to which it belongs. At sunset, the call to prayer is given at the Shin Tepe Mosque according to Urdu calculations, while the call to prayer at the nearby Anbar Tepe Mosque is about one minute later, based on Samsun time.
This slight difference is due to differences in longitude and astronomical calculations officially recognized in each prefecture.
According to this year’s Ramadan schedule, the fast-breaking times on both sides of the village are the same only for the first four days, and the differences begin on the remaining days of the month. However, the issue does not cause disagreement or tension among residents, and has been part of their daily life for decades.
When the invitation to break the fast is sent to the two families on each side, everyone gathers around one table and breaks the fast at the same time. Meanwhile, the rest of the population follows the times of their local mosque.
Engin Arslan, Mukhtar of Sin Tepe, acknowledged that the problem was simply due to subtle geographical differences that affect the timing of sunset, noting that people have adapted to this reality since they settled in the area some 80 years ago.
The narrow road thus became a symbol of a unique story that is renewed every Ramadan. The distance between them and their neighbors is only 7 meters, but their fast is one, their spirit is one, and their traditions unite them, no matter the time of day.
In a rare Ramadan scene, residents of a Turkish village experience an exceptional situation in which they are able to break their fast at two different times, despite being only a few meters apart.
A narrow road, less than seven meters wide, administratively divides the village into two halves belonging to different provinces, resulting in a difference in Maghrib call to prayer times of about one minute on each side of the road.
One belongs to the village of “Shin Tepe” in Ordu province, facing the Black Sea, and the other belongs to the village of “Enbar Tepe”, which is within the border with the neighboring province of Samsun. This classification is not limited to official maps. It reflects the details of everyday life, especially the timing of iftar during the month of Ramadan.
Each side has an independent mosque according to the official timings of each state. At sunset, the call to prayer is announced at the “Sin Tepe” mosque according to Ordu’s calculations, but the call to prayer at the nearby “Enbar Tepe” mosque is delayed by about one minute according to Samsun timing.
This slight difference is due to differences in longitude and the official astronomical calculations adopted by each state.
According to this year’s Ramadan schedule, iftar times on both sides of the village will match only for the first four days, after which they will begin to vary from the remaining days of the month. Nevertheless, this does not cause any conflicts or tensions among the residents. Rather, it has been part of their daily habits for decades.
Once the iftar invitation is exchanged between families on both sides, everyone gathers around one table and breaks the fast at a unified time, while the rest of the population follows the times of their local mosque.
Engin Arslan, the head of Sin Tepe, acknowledged that the problem simply stems from slight geographical differences that affect the timing of sunset, noting that residents have adapted to this reality since settling in the area some 80 years ago.
In this way, the narrow road became a symbol of a unique story that creates a new story every Ramadan. The distance between us and our neighbors may be only 7 meters, but no matter how small the differences may be, our fast is one, our spirit is one, and our traditions bind us together.
