Ramadan timetable 2027 in Baghdad: calculated times
In Baghdad, the Ramadan timetable 2027 consists of a daily schedule of imsak and iftar, that is, the time the fast begins before dawn and the time it ends at sunset. Between 8 February and 8 March, iftar moves from 17:40 to 18:04.
Baghdad expects to begin Ramadan 2027 on Monday 8 February, stopping suhoor at 05:19 and breaking the fast at 17:40. The first day therefore lasts 12 h 21 min, almost an hour less than the final fast in early March.
| Day | Imsak | Fajr | Sunrise | Iftar (maghrib) | Isha | Fasting time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 – Mon 8 Feb | 05:19 | 05:29 | 06:53 | 17:40 | 19:00 | 12 h 21 |
| Day 15 – Mon 22 Feb | 05:07 | 05:17 | 06:39 | 17:53 | 19:11 | 12 h 46 |
| Day 29 – Mon 8 Mar | 04:50 | 05:00 | 06:23 | 18:04 | 19:22 | 13 h 14 |
Calculated estimates (18°/17° (MWL)). The IslamicFinder widget above shows today’s times; check with your local mosque.
Opening day on the Tigris
The table above places fajr at 05:29, sunrise at 06:53 and isha at 19:00 on 8 February. Imsak, set ten minutes before fajr, is a precaution rather than an obligation, but most Iraqi families stop eating when it is announced.
Fifty-three extra minutes by March
On 22 February the fast stretches from 05:07 to 17:53, totalling 12 h 46 min. On 8 March, the 29th day, it runs from 04:50 to 18:04, or 13 h 14 min, an increase of fifty-three minutes since the start.
At thirty-three degrees north, Baghdad is moving from winter towards spring, so each day sunrise comes earlier and sunset later. Iftar gains twenty-four minutes over the month, while imsak moves forward by twenty-nine, which explains most of the lengthening.
Baghdad versus Basra
Basra, further south and east, breaks its first fast at 17:31, nine minutes before the capital, yet fasts six minutes longer on day 1, 12 h 27 min, because its lower latitude gives it a slightly longer winter day.
Calculation choices and Shia practice
These figures use the Muslim World League angles of 18 degrees for fajr and 17 for isha. Shia communities in Iraq usually wait several minutes after sunset before maghrib, so Shia timetables in Kadhimiya show a later iftar than Sunni ones.
How Iraq announces the month
Iraq has no single announcement: the Sunni Endowment Diwan issues its decision, while many Shia follow the office of the senior marja in Najaf. The start of fasting can therefore differ by a day between communities, sometimes even within one Baghdad neighbourhood.
If the crescent is reported on Sunday 7 February, tarawih begins that night and the first fast is Monday 8 February. The 27th night should fall on the evening of Friday 5 March, with Eid al-Fitr on Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 March.
Tashreeb, dolma and the mheibes game
Iraqi iftars traditionally open with dates and lentil soup before plates of dolma or tashreeb, bread soaked in a rich meat broth. After prayers, Baghdadis buy zalabia and baklava, and some neighbourhoods still play mheibes, the ring-hiding game associated with Ramadan nights.
February nights in Baghdad can be chilly, often close to freezing, while afternoons are mild. Shrines such as Kadhimiya and the Abu Hanifa Mosque in Adhamiyah draw large evening crowds, and traffic over the Tigris bridges peaks just before iftar.
Making the most of short winter days
A fast of just over twelve hours in cool weather is among the easiest of the year, yet nights are short once tarawih and family visits are added. These habits help workers and students keep a steady rhythm:
- Sleep a little after tarawih before suhoor
- Wear warm layers for dawn prayer
- Leave early to avoid pre-iftar traffic
- Choose lentils and eggs for suhoor
- Follow your own mosque's maghrib time
Why does my Baghdad mosque give a later iftar?
Shia mosques generally delay maghrib until the redness of sunset has faded in the east, several minutes after the 17:40 sunset shown here. Sunni mosques break the fast at sunset itself, so both times are correct within their traditions.
When is the longest fast in Baghdad?
The last day is the longest: 13 h 14 min on Monday 8 March 2027, from imsak at 04:50 until iftar at 18:04. If Ramadan lasts thirty days, the extra fast on 9 March will be marginally longer still.