A tale of Ramadan dates
Dates have always played an important role in the month of Ramadan, when Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink from dawn until dusk, traditionally breaking their fast with ripe dates.
Photographs by MalaysiaNow
Workers at a warehouse in Bangi, Selangor, unload boxes of dates which will be unpacked and then repackaged for sale.
Many of those tasked with weighing and repackaging the dates are students working part-time until the end of their term break.
Medjool dates – a large, sweet variety prized for their soft, thick fruit – are carefully weighed to the exact number. These dates usually fetch much higher prices than ordinary types.
A worker indicates the size of Medjool dates on the labels for the bottles.
Ajwa dates originate from Medina in Saudi Arabia. They are usually black in colour and naturally sweet. Believed to be the favourite fruit of Prophet Muhammad, they are always in high demand in Malaysia.
Once the dates are packaged, they are ready for delivery.
This particular warehouse uses external delivery services. The name and address of each recipient is carefully printed on the labels.
Workers go over the bottles one last time to make sure that everything is in order.
Then, the bottles are placed in sacks.
A group of workers check the packaging for 5kg boxes of dates before sending them off for delivery.
Sundry shop owner Sakinah Amalina Mohd Salimi (left) goes through a catalogue with a warehouse worker who helps her select a variety of dates for her store.
A few rows away, another woman and her friend compare prices online before paying for their bottles.
Yet another woman takes a quick snapshot of a small bottle before continuing to browse through the shelves.
A worker follows a group of customers to their car, carrying three boxes of various types of dates.
Live promotions are often available online as well, on platforms such as TikTok.
Customers always wait for the best prices before committing to the purchase of premium varieties.
A worker arranges boxes of dates on a shelf at a mini mart in Sungai Merab, Kajang.
At the PKNS complex in Bangi, meanwhile, a trader laughs as she serves a customer looking for Ajwa dates.
Trader Rozita Mohd Yusop has been selling dates at Jalan Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur, for 30 years. She only opens her stall for two months each year – the month before Ramadan and Ramadan itself.
Rozita weighs some Rotab dates, which unlike many others are not dried. Instead, they are juicy and tender with a high water content.
A customer chooses from boxes of dates at a supermarket in Taman Bangi Avenue.
At dusk, a family breaks their fast with some Medjool and Ajwa dates before tucking into their meal.
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