The blessed month of Ramadan is nearing its end, while the nostalgia of the people of Nablus and its suburbs remains for the sound of the Ramadan cannon , which was silenced by the occupation for decades, replacing the sound of joy and joy with the advent of Ramadan and the dates of Iftar and Suhoor, with the sound of bullets and bombs that spread death, terror and stifle breath.

The Ramadan cannon in Nablus has turned into a mere piece of souvenir, and it ended up silent and sad with its bow, in the yard of the Nablus municipality firefighter in the center of the city.

"People still come to the fire brigade building to see the cannon and take souvenir photos next to it, and to relive old memories," said the director of the Nablus Fire Department, Sultan Al-Minawi.

He added that they are working in the fire brigade to paint, maintain and maintain the cannon continuously, beautifying it with decorations and lights with the advent of the month of Ramadan every year, and introducing visitors to this important historical and heritage symbol.

And Al-Minawi added, "We hope to restart this cannon, and we seek to do so, but the matter is not easy, and we need many measures taken by the city's institutions, which would pressure the occupation to lift the restrictions it imposes on its use in this holy month and holidays as well."

In light of the current situation in the city, the idea of restarting this cannon must be reserved until a postponed time. His return became an awaited dream, as it was like an alarm clock during the days of the holy month, and citizens eagerly await hearing it.

The people of the city have always used to gather in the square where the cannon is located - according to Al-Minawi -, and among them were those who were standing behind the windows of their homes in preparation to watch the firing process at sunset, marking the end of the fasting period, while an atmosphere full of joy and pleasure prevailed among them, and the children chanted songs and chanted loudly, then they returned to their homes .

He added: "Al-Tubjiyya (a Turkish word meaning the people assigned to fire the cannon) would fire the shells after giving them a signal according to the correct time from the assigned timer. They would fire seven artillery shells when the crescent of the month of Ramadan was sighted, while one shell would be fired at the time of each iftar or suhoor during the days of the month." And when the crescent of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha are established, they fire seven shells, welcoming its advent, and one shot when every call to prayer is raised during the days of Eid.

Al-Minawi indicates that the Ramadan cannon went through successive historical stages, beginning with the Ottoman era, when the Nablus Municipality assumed the task of operating it, and moved it from the northern hill to the courtyard of the National Hospital to be fired there, and worked on maintaining it and repairing its wheels to facilitate its transportation, and it also provided all the necessary shells. cutting cloth and gunpowder.

This cannon changed more than once - according to Al-Minawi - but its last location dates back to the British Mandate period, specifically during 1947.

After the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987, the Israeli occupation issued a decision banning the use of gunpowder, which the cannon does not work without, so it stopped at that time for long periods, then returned to work after the advent of the Palestinian Authority in 1995, and fireworks were used instead of gunpowder.

Unfortunately; The joy of the people did not last long, as the cannon stopped working again with the beginning of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000 due to the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation on its firing. For security reasons.

It is worth noting that the use of cannons in Ramadan is a tradition followed in a number of historical Islamic cities, including Nablus, Jerusalem, Damascus and Cairo. This is to determine the time of breaking the fast and inform the fasting public of that time, taking into account the geographical distance between mosques and places where the call to prayer is not heard at that time.