Muslims around the world are marking the start of the holy month of Ramadan, which has begun in many Islamic countries.
It's a time marked by intense prayer, self-reflection, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts, and commemorates the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.
Waiting for the sun to set over Bahrain, people scan the sky, looking for a sliver of a new moon to mark the start of Ramadan.
Some 1.5 billion Muslims in more than 50 countries prepare to observe the sacred month.
In the capital of the world's biggest Muslim nation, Indonesia, thousands of worshippers ushered in Ramadan with an prayer at Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque.
It's a special prayer session performed only during the holy month.
This woman, Hajaroh Sida says it's hoped good deeds will be rewarded.
"Ramadan is the time for us to cleanse our sin so we should worship God to get his forgiveness, hopefully after this month and when we usher in the Eid Al-Fitr festival, we will become a holy person."
Considered the holiest time in the year, day-long fasting during Ramadan often ends with a large meal, pushing up food spending for Muslim households.
But in Syria, the lengthy and deadly civil conflict is making it harder for many to enjoy the month's festive spirit.
A slow move up by the Syrian Pound against the US dollar this week not enough to affect spending power.
Syrian citizen Abu Anas says it's left many locals focusing on the absolute essentials.
"To sum up, psychologically, people are not happy. Secondly, the economic situation does not allow people to buy sweets and other things that they celebrate with. The atmosphere in general has become different from past Ramadans."
And on the eve of Ramadan in other parts of the Middle East, final preparations were underway in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.
Mohamad Asido, a Gaza resident, says it's a challenging time of year.
"Ramadan's atmosphere is very nice in Gaza but is always affected by the Israeli blockade, the closing of the crossings and the displaced families."
The timing of Ramadan varies in different Muslim countries depending on the sighting of the new moon.
The 30-day fasting period ends with the Eid al-Fitr festival.
