Capturing Ramadan

by Anissa Rafeh January 1, 2004

written by Anissa Rafeh January 1, 2004

It started as the $40,000 pet project of a young entrepreneur in 1995 and ended up a trend that today seems to have been with us forever. The Ramadan tent, originally an Egyptian invention, was stunningly simple in that it offered a venue for people to meet and socialize after breaking the fast. Today, such is their popularity that practically every major hotel has jumped on the bandwagon, raking in as much as $550,000 for the month. “I came to Lebanon in 1992 after living in Egypt and realized there was nothing to do in the evening for SOHOOR during Ramadan – there was only Barbar,” said Wassim Tabbara, who started the first Ramadan tent eight years ago at the age of 26. While successfully participating in the organization of an Egyptian week in Lebanon with the Lebanese-Egyptian Association, of which he was a member, Tabbara had the idea of

Anissa Rafeh

Anissa graduated from the University of Richmond in Virginia before moving to Lebanon to pursue a Master's degree in Political Science from the American University of Beirut. Following her studies, she embarked on a successful career in journalism, working as both a writer and editor. She also served as a production editor at Executive magazine. Anissa is the author of two novels: MissGuided (2008) and Beirut to the 'Burbs (2017).

Capturing Ramadan

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