Damascus, Feb. 20 (SANA) Mesaharaty is a person who roams the streets in the late hours of the night In Ramadan typically carrying a drum or flute using rhythmic beats, melodic chants, and religious invocations to gently wake the fasting community …His traditional call often includes phrases such as “Wake up, sleeper, there’s no God but Allah the Everlasting” or “Isha ya Sayem, Wahed Allah” (Wake up, O fasting one, proclaim the Oneness of God)
A journey through the labyrinth of Syria’s Ramadan memories When the Drum Awakens Hearts Before Bodies
Before the call to Fajr prayer pierces the sky of Damascus, faint, rhythmic taps cascade through narrow alleyways a tender summons from another era. It is the mesaharay’s drum, carried by a man shouldering the sacred duty of waking up an entire neighborhood not merely for a pre-dawn meal, but to rekindle the spirit of community in the hour of sahar (pre-dawn). In Syria, where stories intertwine with stone-paved lanes, the Mesaharaty transcends his role as a human alarm clock to become a guardian of collective memory and an ambassador of Syria’s timeless generosity knowing no boundaries between one home and the next.
The Attire and the Drum: An Unmistakable Identity
You cannot mistake a Syrian Mesaharaty: black trousers brushing the ground, a felt taqiya (cap) shading a brow accustomed to sleepless nights spent for others’ sake, and a small drum suspended from his chest like a shield of wood and leather. In his right hand, a slender wooden stick meets the drumhead in harmonious taps resembling the night’s final whispers before farewell. He begins his rounds two hours before dawn, walking deliberately between homes never rushing lest he miss a household, never lingering lest he miss the hour. With every beat, a message echoes: “Suhoor has come… and goodness approaches.”
The Basket of Goodness: When the Mesaharaty Bridged Rich and Poor
The mesaharaty’s drum was never merely a wake-up tool, it was a key to the door of social solidarity. In bygone days, he carried a small wicker basket, passing first through affluent homes before his rounds. Each household would place what their hearts allowed bread, dates, yogurt then he would distribute these offerings to impoverished families before dawn, never naming giver or receiver. Local historians note: “The Mesaharaty was history’s first food delivery network… but it was run by heart, not apps.”
The Greatest Challenge: The Electronic Alarm Versus Living Memory
With the spread of smartphones and alarm apps, the mesaharaty’s role has gradually receded in modern neighborhoods. The relationship shifted from symbolic “gift” to monetary “wage” in some areas, stripping the profession of some of its human grace. Yet paradoxically, the Syrian war which destroyed so much revived the mesaharaty’s relevance: with frequent power outages and disabled electronic devices, the drum once again became families’ sole savior for suhoor.
Ramadan 2025: The Drum’s Return to Damascus’ Alleys
Last Ramadan, the Mesaharaty reemerged as a symbol of returning normalcy. He wandered Damascus‘ ancient quarters freely—without permits or obstacles welcomed by residents who saw in his return the revival of “the true Sham.” An elder Mesaharaty reflects: “The alarm clock wakes the body… but my drum awakens the soul. When you hear its taps, you remember your grandfather, your childhood and this country’s generosity.”
Guardian of the Sacred Hour in an Age of Speed
The Syrian Mesaharaty is not merely a profession practiced, it is an existential state lived. In a world racing against time, this Ramadan figure remains faithful to the old art of slowness, walking deliberately to grant people the chance to awaken gently, to eat suhoor with presence, and to remember that life is not merely a race against the clock. Perhaps his drum won’t echo down every street a decade from now—but its resonance will continue thundering in the memory of every Syrian who once fell asleep as a child to its taps, only to be awakened for suhoor with family… is there a more beautiful heritage than this?
Iman Al zuheiri
