The mass iftar table in Cairo’s Matariya street has become a Ramadan phenomenon after it was set for the ninth year in row on Thursday, upon an initiative launched by the region’s inhabitants. The event was attended by over 3,000 fasters.
Among the attendees was South Korea’s Ambassador to Egypt, Hong Jin-Wook, who greeted the fasters, saying in Arabic: “Ramadan in Egypt is different.” According to local media, the ambassador also said he “loves the Egyptian popular plates such as ‘Kushari’, ‘Mahshi’, and ‘Qatayef’.”
Singer Rami Gamal applauded the mass iftar on Twitter, saying he’s “working on a song about the event that will be released within days.”
The “Matariya Table” was trending on Egyptian social media over the past hours, described by some activists as “the longest iftar table ever in Egypt”, while others celebrated the event, saying “the event and its simple details brought joy to the fasting inhabitants of the Matariya street.”
Mohammed Moftah, one of the table’s organizers, said “the idea debuted years ago by a group of friends who organized a mass iftar at the ‘Hamada Farm’, in the Matariya street, and invited families and neighbors. Then, it has expanded in the following years and turned into a carnival-like occasion.” “Our organization is punctual and the tasks are well-distributed. There is a cooking division guided by professional cooks, a communication and invitations division, and a decorations and banners division,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat, noting that “we do all that with love and dedication. As the young organizers of this table, we don’t even find time to sit on it and eat until two hours after the sunset.”
Moftah highlighted “the love and cooperation among the Matariya inhabitants,” and slammed “the dramas that link popular neighborhoods and suburbs to violence and bullying,” stressing that “occasions like the Matariya table are always a good opportunity to show a beautiful picture of the popular areas.”
Many artists and public figures in Egypt and the Arab world celebrated the mass iftar table. Singer Assala shared a video of the gathering on Twitter, with a caption saying: “From Matariya, Egypt…Thank you.”
For his part, sport journalist Ibrahim Fayeq described the occasion as “a mass Egyptian iftar with a taste of love and kindness.”
The table also caught the attention of many Arab bloggers such as Emirati Ibrahim Behzad who attended the iftar this year.
“Great ambiances that you only find in Egypt and with its kind people,” he wrote on Twitter, while Algerian novelist Ahlam Mosteghanemi shared some pictures of the celebration and wrote: “The largest mass iftar spread the joy in the streets of Egypt.”
