Azerbaijan sets Ramadan timetable with Turkey

ANKARA

Azerbaijan has changed the country’s Ramadan timetable with Iran to set it in compliance with Turkey this year, according to Turkish media reports.

“This is a first and an interesting development,” said Ramin Sadık, an Azerbaijani historian.

Ramadan begins on April 2 with the first sahur, a meal before dawn, in Turkey and on April 3 in Iran.

Following the decision, Azeris will fast during Ramadan and perform salat al eid simultaneously with the Turkish public.

Referring to the famed phrase on Turkish-Azerbaijani ties of “One nation, two states,” some media outlets headlined the decision “Two states, one eid timetable.”

With the start of Ramadan, many nutritionists in Turkey came to the forefront to give “sahur and iftar [evening meal] tips” to the fasting believers.

“People should eat a protein-rich meal at sahur, mostly dairy products should be preferred,” nutritionist Baran Mert told Demirören News Agency on April 1.

According to Mert, one should drink a minimum of two or two and a half liters of water between iftar and sahur.

When asked what to avoid at the start of iftar after around 16 hours of fasting, Mert said, “Believers should not eat continuously and rapidly at iftar.”

Recommending people to start iftar with only a persimmon and soup with no salt, Mert advised giving breaks while eating to relax the stomach.

“Otherwise one may face intestinal and gastric problems,” he said.

Internal medicine specialist Betül Kaya suggests consuming dishes made of olive oil and avoiding spicy, peppery, salty, fried and fatty foods throughout Ramadan.