Today, if you hear a cannon blast as the sun sets, do not be alarmed.

Dubai Police will meet to honour a centuries old ritual, that can be traced back to Egypt in the 10th Century.

The blast of the cannon signifies the end of the fasting period for that day, and you’ll hear it throughout the Holy Month of Ramadan. It was used way back before we had watches or phones to tell the time and the tradition is honoured today across the city.

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There are six cannons stationed across Dubai and four Dubai Police officers man each cannon

Catch a cannon in action daily at Fort Island on Madinat Jumeirah

More and more people flock to visit this special attraction

Since the 1960s Dubai Police have used cannons to announce the start of iftar and it’s becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction. The cannons were built in 1945 and you can hear them from as far as 10km in the distance, each cannon is fired once per day to announce iftar.

Tourists and residents can gather at Madinat Jumeirah to witness the blast before Maghrib (sunset) prayers.