With the arrival of the month of Ramadan, small shops and street stalls transform into vibrant workshops, where fasting people gather before the evening call to prayer to buy whatever fresh sweets are available. In the old city, this custom takes on an additional dimension, as the sounds of pedestrians mix with the vendors' calls, while families head to the Al-Aqsa Mosque square and the surrounding markets, preparing to break their fast. One of the vendors says that the demand for Qatayef increases significantly during the second half of the month, as the sweet is associated with family visits and Ramadan gatherings. The importance of Qatayef is not limited to being a dessert, but it also represents part of the collective memory and cultural identity, as recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. Every year, the scene of preparing Qatayef in the alleys of Jerusalem reaffirms the presence of traditions despite changing circumstances, leaving Ramadan as a season of social warmth and communication as much as it is a month of worship and fasting. In the alleys of the old city of Jerusalem, where the smells of Ramadan sweets mix with the scent of history, one craftsman is busy preparing Qatayef — the Ramadan dessert that takes center stage on the iftar tables of the Holy Land and the Arab world.
