In pictures: Ramadan at night looks a lot different this year

This year Ramadan for most Muslims will be unlike any they have experienced before.

Hundreds of millions of Muslims began a month of no food or drink from dawn to dusk.

Precautions against the coronavirus will mean large public gatherings celebrating Ramadan are off the menu. For millions around the world, the breaking of the fast is a communal event which this year will be limited to the closest of family relations.

The coronavirus has impacted some of Islam’s holiest sites. 

Jerusalem’s al Aqsa Mosque is closed to all but those looking after the site. Similarly, the grand mosques of Mecca and Medina, which would normally be heaving with thousands of worshippers, have fallen silent.

Palestinian worshippers perform the Taraweeh prayer in front of the Bab Al Asbat Gate outside the closed-down Masjid al Aqsa compound during the holy month of Ramadan in Old Town in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem on April 26, 2020. 

Worshippers in Jerusalem are paying attention to social distancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The month of Ramadan is a period of intense spirituality, self-control and an opportunity to reconnect with God. The Muslim faithful, following their evening meal, will engage in special nighttime prayers known as taraweeh.

Mosques around the world have either been closed or attendance has been restricted in a bid to stop the spread of the deadly pandemic. Closures are likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future in the interests of public safety.

Palestinian Hamude Abu Amre and his family, who lost their homes to Israeli attacks, break their fast together. 

Not everyone is observing social distancing during this Ramadan.

Protesters in Baghdad are breaking their fast during iftar inTahrir Square in Baghdad. 

Starting on 1 October 2019, Iraqi citizens have continued to march in the streets to express their anger at endemic corruption, high unemployment and foreign interference. 

With much of Lebanon still under lockdown as the country aims to stem the spread of the coronavirus, people marked the beginning of Ramadan this year by releasing sky lanterns. 

In Istanbul, an age old tradition during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues with some restrictions. 

Known as the the Ramadan drummers, they wander the streets to wake up residents for "sahoor" — the last meal before a day of fasting that begins before sunrise. 

This year, however, they are not allowed to take donations from grateful residents as part of the announced coronavirus restrictions.

The Ramadan drummers are spread from the Middle East to the Balkans as part of the regions remaining Ottoman traditions.

In the Balkans, the breaking of the fast at sunset and the announcement of the beginning of Ramadan is made with a canon being fired. 

The past year has been a difficult one for Muslims in India. 

Racism and anti-Muslim violence has been on the increase due to the Hindu-nationalist policies followed by the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. 

The spread of the coronavirus has even been linked to Muslims in the country by a right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation with close links to Modi.

A strict lockdown continues to remain in place across the contested Kashmir valley after Modi extended the lockdown across the country until 3 May.

Pakistan has been one of the only Muslim countries where mosques have largely stayed open and worshippers have defied government attempts to limit the size of the congregations. 

The government released a series of rules including that worshippers should maintain social distance between themselves, bring their own prayer mats and perform ablution at home.

France has been one of the hardest hit countries in Europe from the coronavirus with more than 160,000 infection and almost 23,000 thousands deaths. 

The lockdown has also exposed inequality amongst the countries minority communities.