Every year with the arrival of Ramadan, a familiar scene unfolds atop the Erbil Citadel — the firing of a cannon, a tradition that marks the time for breaking the fast and carries centuries of Kurdish history.
Known as Master Rajab’s cannon, this historic weapon has become a cultural symbol of Ramadan in Erbil. Crafted by Master Rajab of Rawanduz during the reign of Mir Muhammad Pasha the Great of the Soran Emirate, the cannon was originally a defensive weapon used in battles. During Mir Muhammad’s rule, Rawanduz housed a weapons factory, arsenal, and dagger workshop producing coins, swords, household tools, and minting stamps for the emirate. In 1813, Mir Muhammad sent Master Rajab to France to study cannon-making. Upon his return, he built long-range cannons, giving the Soran Emirate over 200 of these powerful weapons and making it one of the most heavily armed emirates of the period.
After the fall of the Soran Emirate to the Ottomans, most of Master Rajab’s cannons were destroyed or cast into the Khazir River to prevent their use by rival forces. Historians note that some were also taken by Russian forces to avoid benefiting the Ottomans and their allies. When Sayyid Taha Shamzini became the first district governor of Rawanduz in 1923, only three cannons were recovered, now preserved in Rawanduz, Erbil, and Koya.
Following this discovery, religious scholars began using the cannon during Ramadan for the Suhoor call, as well as for festive occasions. Those who participated in firing the cannon in the 1960s recalled that each evening of Ramadan, people would bring cloth and old garments, place them in the cannon with gunpowder, and fire it immediately after the mosque’s adhan to signal the start of Suhoor.
This year, as in past years, the Suhoor cannon was fired atop Erbil Citadel by Omed Khoshnaaw, Governor of Erbil, marking the breaking of the first fast of Ramadan. The governor extended well wishes to all Muslims and prayed for the acceptance of their fasting, asking for peace and tranquility across the Kurdistan Region and especially in the capital, Erbil.
