The Ramadan tent is one of the traditions of Ramadan. It is a venue built specifically during the holy month and that usually serves a variety of purposes. In the United Arab Emirates, some tents are built for charity purposes and to provide food for the needy. Other Ramadan tents are a private majilis or are publicly accessible and structured as a restaurant and social area and are set up by commercial organizations. By far, the most interesting type of tent is the tent that is open to the public and where people can come and socialize after Iftar and prayers. People usually have suhoor or both iftar and suhoor in the Ramadan tents that have become more and more lavish over time. In the United Arab Emirates, they are usually built in hotels. In Dubai, building a Ramadan tent requires a permit as there are a variety of rules that Ramadan tents need to comply with for health and safety purposes. Therefore, our Ramadan series articles cannot be complete without an article on Ramadan tents. Today, we would like to introduce you to tents from the city of Abu Dhabi and from Abu Dhabi's luxury hotels specifically. We have included photos that were a courtesy of these hotels and we thank them for their contributions to our article.

What happens when the World Cup is scheduled during the holy month of Ramadan? Well, you go and watch the match after Iftar and prayers in the tent of course! This is exactly what the Sofitel hotel in Abu Dhabi as well as other hotels have advertised. Set beside the pool, Sofitel's tent is very well decorated for Ramadan with tables and couches made with oriental colors. An amazing ambiance is created with the wooden decorations, lanterns and blue lights that give the tent night-time colors and hence, makes it a great venue for socialization and relaxation. Given Sofitel Abu Dhabi's location on the Corniche, the tent's name is: "Layali El Corniche" and it is located at Chill'o'.

The Hilton in Abu Dhabi has also featured a tent for everyone's enjoyment. It is a venue with a very different style and layout. With its colors and chandeliers, it has more of an Arabian style and feel to it. It also features smaller tents that have couches in an arrangement that is similar to a majlis. Gold, red and white are the colors we see. Its fabric-based roof makes people aware of their presence in a very big tent for their traditional Ramadan evenings. The Hilton has also included screens for all of the world cup lovers out there! 

On another side of the island of Abu Dhabi and at the Khalidiya Palace Rayhaan by Rotana, people have enjoyed having shishas in front of a big screen during the world cup. These screens have now been removed for the remainder of the holy month. Tables, couches, sweets, food and friendly staff are on the menu. The name of this tent is "Khaymetna", which means "our tent". It is a very relaxed and casual place for Ramadan evenings. With its triangular roof, lights curtains and open windows, the venue makes people aware of the tent-atmosphere that is very specific to Ramadan as well.


Le Royal Meridien in Abu Dhabi has decided to shut down the pool and to turn its court yard into a Ramadan tent with the name of "Layali El Hilmiya". It is a tent where you are very close to the pool and could nearly go for a swim if you wanted to. It is quite a creative idea and is a very special Ramadan tent setting. For the tent to cover so much space, it should definitely be of a very large size and indeed, it can accommodate 1000 people. In your Ramadan nights, you can also listen to a band playing oudh, traditional Arabic music and religious melodies.

Which one of these tents appeal to you the most? We hope that you have enjoyed our article! We still have one more article for you in our Ramadan series next week. Do not forget to check-out our store for Ramadan table cloths. Always love you and have fun!