The Ramadan cannon – and despite the lack of reliance on it – is one of the beautiful customs that the people of Hail have known for decades, due to its association with the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan, and its accompanying the Maghrib call to inform about breaking the fast and before Suhoor, as well as when the sighting of the crescent of Shawwal is proven, announcing the advent of Eid Al-Fitr, as well as when Eid al-Adha solutions.
The cannon fires sound munitions resulting from the process of gunpowder exploding and burning inside the cannon's barrel, as the sound emanates to be heard throughout Hail.
The Hailites missed the sound of their Ramadan cannon, after they had lived with it for many years. After the cannon used to accompany them in their fasting and breaking their fast, he preferred silence and retreating into a corner of history, leaving the Al-Olaya neighborhood, Mughidha and others telling his memories. And the elderly talk about it at a time when the young people see it as a fantasy. The cannon fired 9 gunpowder shells to announce the start of Ramadan, and 9 others for the advent of Eid al-Fitr. Fasting people break their fast with the sound of one shell at breakfast, and another at the time of Suhoor.
Thus was the mission of the Ramadan cannon, with its cloth shell filled with gunpowder, which shoots out from its nozzle in the Aairf castle in the center of the city of Hail. The famous castle overlooks the city of Hail, with its heritage and historical character, and mimics in its architectural style similar to the well-known defensive buildings in Najd architecture, as it is located at the top of a mountain overlooking the city from the southern side, and was built of stone and mud before the year 1260 AH (1840 AD).
The area of the castle is 440 square meters of mud and adobe, and it was provided with towers and openings to monitor the enemies and defend its inhabitants from the dangers of adversaries and invaders, until it became the faithful guard of the city and its inhabitants. It is equipped with openings to drain rain water.
The castle is equipped with everything needed by the stationed, as there are sleeping places, a chapel, and toilets, in addition to the large number of towers and observation and defense openings inside it, which number 30 towers. Until the castle was transformed in modern times into a site from which the crescent of the month of Ramadan was surveyed and a cannon was fired from it to alert the fasting people when it was time for them to break their fast, before it turned into a tourist destination for visitors and tourists during holidays and festivals in this prosperous era, in which the blessing of security, safety and brotherhood pervaded all parts of the Kingdom. .
Motabalawwd (Hail) @Motabalawwd