Ramadan Mubarak
It is the year 1427AH and nearly a millennium and a half after the advent of Islam the ninth month of the Hijri remains one of the most significant months in its calendar. Muslims the world over observe sawm (fasting) through the month. From fajr or dawn to maghrib or sunset, practising Muslims will eat or drink nothing. It is a deeply personal act of offering prayers during this time, involving a fast that is broken only with the celebration of iftar after sunset. Sawm is believed to redirect thoughts from worldly activities, helping one to achieve a higher spiritual level.

Fasting is the fourth of the Five Pillars of Islam, required every day during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan reaches its height in its last ten days. Most Muslims begin their fast with a meal called suhoor before dawn. They are obligated to finish eating before it is time for the fajr prayer. Traditionally, many mosques will sponsor iftar (literally: break fast) meals after sundown for the community to come and end their day's fasting.

Since Muscat is host to a range of cultures from across the region, it is interesting to see how different nationalities celebrate the occasion. In Sri Lanka, they break their fast with fruits, sherbet and kanji. This is a thick paste made from garlic flavoured rice and coconut milk and tempered with mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. The kanji is accompanied by sambol made from coconut, chillies and mint. Egyptians might break their fast with a preparation of foul medamas with brown bread. The beans are mixed with hot oil, salt and pepper, sometimes cooked with onion and tomatoes. Egyptians also make some special drinks called qamar al deen and arasyi, made from dried apricots that have been soaked all day. Don't miss their sweets like mulukhiya, baklava, basbousah and sweet hareesa. Jordanians break the fast with diluted yoghurt, soup and juice. The iftar menu includes mansaf, which consists of lamb seasoned with aromatic herbs and mild spices, cooked in yoghurt and served on a bed of Arabic bread and rice, garnished with nuts. A special dessert served only during Ramadan is kataief, a cinnamon flavoured pancake stuffed with walnuts and sugar and eaten with honey syrup. Iranian iftar involves sweet tea, Tabreezi cheese and walnut sandwiches, while the best dish might just be their saffron-flavoured halwa. Tunisian and Moroccan influences can be seen in harira, a soup made from lentils, chickpeas, rice and meat stock, while some Asians might prepare samosas, bhajiyas, beans and kebabs.

Today, you also find many hotels and restaurants organising special iftar meals, an extension of the traditional hospitality and fine cuisine that has become a trademark of the region. Oman Today looks at what Muscat's finest have to offer.

Shangri-La's Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa
The Al Tanoor restaurant will offer a traditional iftar buffet every day from sunset until 8:30pm, featuring a selection of Arabian dishes. The authentic Middle Eastern décor, beautiful views over the Sablah area and the live entertainment by an Omani instrumental duo will further complement the experience. The price for adults is RO13.500, though special discounts are available for children.

With its views of the beach and the backdrop of mountains, the Sablah area of the resort will be the focal point of its Ramadan activities. Every night from 8:30pm to 2am the piazza of the Al Bandar Hotel will revive the authentic ambience of a local village with traditional Arabian tents and live entertainment. For those with a sweet tooth, local desserts such as Omani halwa, umm Ali and basbousa will be on offer. Sheesha and board games will be available for after-meal relaxation, while you could get lucky with their raffle draws.

The Shangri-La will also be offering special room rates during the holy month, starting from RO85 at the Al Waha, RO120 at the Al Bandar and RO190 at the Al Husn. Rates are for single or double occupancy and are inclusive of breakfast or suhoor.

In addition, the Chi Spa is offering a discount of 50 per cent for clients if they book a friend for the same treatment at the same time. The treatments must be taken between noon and 4pm.

Al Bustan Palace InterContinental Muscat
The Al Bustan Palace InterContinental Muscat will be opening its Beach Pavilion for iftar this Ramadan. It will be the first time that the Beach Pavilion will be open for iftar, and this promotion offers sufficient culinary indulgence. A taste of traditional Arabian and Omani dishes will be served every evening during the holy month.

Open daily from sunset until 8:30pm, the Beach Pavilion's traditional iftar buffet menu includes live cooking stations and an exceptional spread of Ramadan pastries. The buffet is priced at RO8.500 per person.

Don't miss the Seblat al Bustan either. The grounds of the hotel will be set ablaze this month, with torches flickering through the night. That path of fire will lead you to the Seblat, set with lavish traditional tents, yours for the night. Ensconced deep within red crushed velvet, you can laze against Arabic style cushions and carpets that adorn the tent.

Last year, we started the evening with tamer Hindi on crushed ice, a Ramadan special made from tamarind. Perhaps you would opt for kamar eddine, an apricot drink that is both cooling and refreshing. We moved on to cold mezza: gir gir salad, fetta cheese, hummous, moutabel and tabouleh. Not to be outdone, there was a platter of hot mezza up next. Please call the hotel in advance for reservations, and to find out how they will be interpreting this culinary experience this year.

Sheraton Oman
For as little as RO6.500 per person you can enjoy the buffet at The Green Mountain restaurant. You can also get a discount of RO10 if you buy a booklet of ten dinner coupons for RO55. For those who would prefer the comfort of their homes to break their fast, you can buy an ouzi or freshly roasted lamb for RO75. You can also avail a discount of 20 per cent on the initial buffet menu price by hosting your iftar banquet at the Sheraton between the first and the tenth day of the holy month.

Grand Hyatt Muscat
Grand Hyatt Muscat continues to pay homage to local and Arabic traditions during Ramadan, with a lavish iftar buffet – dried dates and laban followed by a selection of hot and cold dishes and Arabic sweets – emphasising traditional, international and indigenous Omani light cuisine at the Mokha Café. A buffet dinner will be laid out at RO10 per person, while their regular à la carte menu will also be available. A selection of mezzes, shawarmas, fresh juices, barbecue items, coffee as well as Moroccan tea will also be available. Children up to three years can dine for free and those under 12 can dine for half the price.

Meanwhile, located by the promenade on the beach, the Layali Ramadan Majlis offers Arabic atmosphere with Western style seating, all set under exquisite tents. Hostesses attired in national costume will welcome guests every evening from 8pm onwards, while live music will provide the backdrop of entertainment. Various board games are available at the majlis along with a wide selection of flavoured sheesha. A children's play area adjacent to the tent will keep your kids entertained, while competitions and a daily prize draw provide further attraction.

The Chedi Muscat
Dine in elegant waterfront tents at The Chedi's Lialli Ramadan spread. The beachfront garden area will feature four white tents offering a wide selection of mezze, hot dishes, Arabian sweets and – a last celebratory twist – French desserts from the patisserie. Sheesha will also be available in a variety of flavours. Light music using traditional instruments like the oud will complete the experience. During Ramadan special delicacies will be served for iftar at RO12 per person. A selection of traditional dishes will be available from sunset onwards.

For non-fasting guests, breakfast will be available indoors or on the terrace, while dinner will be served à la carte from 7pm onwards. For the duration of the holy month, however, lunch will be served indoors only. The Lobby Lounge will serve non-alcoholic drinks, desserts and pastries after sunset until midnight and their Serai Pool Cabana will be open for refreshments from 9am-5pm. A menu complemented by a wide range of fruit juices, non-alcoholic beverages and lunch will be available from noon until 5pm. The waterfront Ramadan Garden will open daily from 7:30pm until the early morning hours. If you want to enjoy an evening in a private tent in a group of eight or more, call The Chedi to make a booking.

Crowne Plaza Muscat
Head to the Tropicana at the Crowne Plaza each evening to break your fast and gorge on their special iftar buffet. Nearly 180 people can enjoy the buffet at RO8 per person. If you wish to carry on the experience for some more time then the outdoor Ramadan Café is where you will want to be.

Overlooking the sea from the top of a cliff, the café allows you to enjoy a special à la carte menu and sheesha while the tunes of an oud soothes your senses. The hotel also offers their meeting rooms for private iftar parties.

Past festivities here have revolved around favourite Omani specialties such as harees, shuaa and halwa and have proved very popular.

InterContinental Muscat
A special iftar buffet will be arranged every night at the Musandam Café for RO7 per person. Traditional Arabic salads, appetisers and hot mezze will be followed by a wide selection of main courses to suit your palate. Don't miss their sheesha corner, or the à la carte menu of Arabic snacks and beverages from 7pm till the early hours of the morning.

Golden Tulip Seeb
The hotel will be arranging for a special air-conditioned Ramadan tent where you can enjoy traditional Arabic cuisine, sweets and beverages. You can also puff away on a sheesha and allow yourself to be entertained by traditional Arabic music performed by artistes Bilal and Samah. Playing cards and board games will also be available for guests.

The Golden Tulip Seeb will have a range of Lebanese and Arabic cuisines at the Le Jardin restaurant and terrace as part of the iftar buffet that will start at sunset and go on till 8pm. A Lebanese pastry chef is being flown in as a special addition for the occasion. The buffet is priced at RO5 per person. The establishment is also selling corporate coupon booklets with 20 coupons, priced at RO100 per booklet.

car deals of the year
While Ramadan is a time when you have a host of places to go to break the fast, it is also the time when it brings out the best of deals from automobile dealers across the country. Here is a list of what most of the sultanate's car dealers have to offer their customers through the holy month.

Chevrolet
Chevrolet has announced its Ramadan Ihtifaal offer, which entitles all customers who buy a Chevrolet during the month to participate in a raffle. Prizes include an LG Internet Refrigerator and four LG 32-inch LCD televisions. Added benefits include cash incentives of RO200 on Spark, Aveo and Optra, and RO250 on Epica models. Customers also get free insurance for the first year on these four cars (except their base models), free registration for the first year on these models and free Bluetooth connectivity on all of them. Their range starts with Spark which is available in 800cc and 1,000cc versions and has the 1.4-litre Aveo, 1.6-litre Optra, 2-litre Epica, 3.6 or 5.7-litre Lumina and Caprice. The SUV range includes the 4.2-litre Trailblazer, 5.3-litre Tahoe and Suburban models.

Daihatsu
Daihatsu will be offering five years or a 100,000km free service package, free insurance and gifts on its vehicles. You could also win any of the 30 Toyota Corollas as a prize in the raffle draw or a Toyota Camry as the raffle's grand prize. Daihatsu's range of vehicles includes the compact Sirion and the 4WD Terios in the passenger vehicle segment and the Delta truck in the line up of commercial vehicles.

Ford
As part of its Ramadan offer Ford has announced a raffle draw with a Focus and a Mondeo as prizes. In addition there will be a free service package for five years or 100,000km, free insurance and a lucky draw where prizes range from Sony 40-inch televisions, a trip to Bangkok, Nokia 8800, iPod Nanos and other gift hampers.

The line up of cars that include the Focus, Mondeo, Explorer, Expedition, Ranger, Hurricane F-150, Mustang and Crown Victoria will also come with a six year unlimited mileage vehicle protection scheme and a spares availability of 98 per cent.

Honda
Honda will provide you with free insurance and registration when you buy your vehicle. They have also thrown in free service for the car for three years or 75,000km, minimum down payments and a special interest rate of five per cent on select models if you take their financing options. Honda will also have some trade-in offers and every Honda customer will be entitled to free Panasonic electronics as gifts with their names entered in a raffle draw. The grand prizewinner of the raffle will receive the entire cash value of his car back. Meanwhile, for the motorcycle enthusiast, Honda will be distributing free Panasonic DVD players with all its motorcycle models.

Hyundai
There are four new models of Hyundai to choose from – Azera, Santa Fe, Accent and Elantra. Hyundai customers will also have the option of a 60 per cent guaranteed buy back. In addition to these there is an assured high value gift on every purchase. If customers purchase an Azera or any of the 4WD vehicles like the Tucson, Santa Fe or Terracan they are entitled to a Bluetooth kit.

Over and above all these, customers are entitled to free registration on all models of Getz, Accent, Elantra, Matrix and Sonata except the Sonata 3.3; free service for three years or 50,000km on Accent, Elantra, Sonata, Tucson AT, Azera and Terracan AT and free insurance on all models of Accent, Elantra and Sonata. The Hyundai Accent's base model is exempt from these offers.

Kia
Korean car manufacturer Kia is also offering free service packages for five years or 100,000km along with a six year unlimited mileage vehicle protection programme. Customers also have the chance of winning RO1,000 in the daily raffle draw and a Kia Sportage as the grand prize. It is also offering free insurance and 50 per cent assured buyback schemes and high value gifts. Kia's line up of vehicles includes the Cerato, Picanto, Optima, Carens, Carnival, Sportage and Sorento. They also have the Pregio and the K2700 commercial vehicles.

Lexus
Lexus is offering a free service package for two years or 30,000km. Customers have the opportunity to win the 2006 IS300 as the prize in a raffle or up to 30 Corollas – a common raffle with Toyota and Daihatsu. You could also win high value gifts and a six year unlimited mileage vehicle protection scheme. You will also be a member of the Lexus Prestige Club that will offer 24-hour on-road assistance from AAA and discounts at premium outlets across the sultanate.

Toyota
Apart from offering a free service package for up to five years or 100,000km, free insurance on the Yaris, Corolla and Echo, Toyota is also offering a free gift hamper and 30 Corollas in its Car-a-Day raffle. They are also hosting a grand raffle where the prize is a brand new Toyota Camry. Other benefits include the six year unlimited mileage Mazallat Bahwan vehicle protection, easy financing facilities, trade-in offers and 98 per cent availability of spares. Toyota's range of products includes the Corolla, Camry, Avalon, Yaris, Echo, LandCruiser, Prado, Hilux, RAV 4 and Fortuner.

Nissan
Nissan's special Ramadan is on till December 10, 2006. Nissan will offer free insurance and registration to all personal purchases. Each buyer will also be given gifts that include D'amas diamond jewellery or 25-inch televisions and a raffle coupon. Those who opt for an SUV are entitled to the jewellery or a 29-inch television and two coupons to the Murano raffle. There will be five draws held during the entire phase of the promotion, where each winner gets to drive away in any of the five new Nissan Muranos. Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Nissan's dealer in Oman, is also offering a special finance scheme where the customer needs to pay a 10 per cent down payment on the cost price of the car and thereafter can pay their first installment after 90 days. Those buying diesel vehicles will get 2,000 litres of free diesel. There are special offers on taxis and driving school cars as well. If they pick up a Tiida, Sunny, Altima or Urvan, they are offered free painting of their required colour scheme, free fitting of the light box on the roof of taxis, free basic insurance (extra commercial vehicle premium to be paid by the customer) and free basic manufacturer's warranty.

Mazda
Mazda is offering a minimal interest rate of 3.99 per cent. With every car that you buy you can avail of free insurance, registration and a free service package for 50,000km. Customers also get a high value gift. Mazda customers will be entitled to a raffle for the weekly draws with a prize of RO1,000 and eventually a grand raffle with a prize of RO5,000.

Subaru
All Subaru customers are entitled to free registration, service for 100,000km or five years at RO1 per month and an LG 21-inch flat screen television. In addition to this, Legacy customers would be entitled to free insurance and a Bluetooth device.

Subaru cars come equipped with symmetrical all wheel drive and a four-channel four-sensor anti-lock braking system, dual air bags, automatic climate control, keyless entry and full power options.

Renault
This Ramadan you can get free registration, insurance and comprehensive service for two years or 40,000km and unlimited warranty for four years. Renault is also offering free gift vouchers for various beauty and health treatments, fitness programmes, luxury lifestyle products and more. A special finance scheme called Sahl is in place allowing a customer to drive away in a Renault of his choice with a down payment of only ten per cent and defer their installment payment for three months. Renault currently offers the Clio, Megane, Laguna, Scenic and Vel Satis.