Ramadan cannon was ‘born by chance’

It appears to have come about by accident that the Ramadan cannon is now emblematic of the ninth month of the Muslim calendar in Saudi Arabia and many other Muslim countries.
It is a fixture in Makkah, to announce when people should break their fast at sunset, and at dawn to warn them they should stop eating and drinking.
Its origins go back to the 15th century according to some accounts.
One story traces the origin to the Hijri year 859 (around 1455), when a Mamluk sultan of Egypt wanted to test a new cannon that he had just received. He fired a ball that exactly coincided with Maghreb time during Ramadan. People then thought this was the sultan's way of telling them it was time to break their fast.
When the sultan saw how happy people were with this “innovation,” he decided to keep doing it every day. It is said that he also added another blast at the start of dawn, to alert people they had to stop eating and drinking for the day.
A second account tells of Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt in the early 19th century, who fired a German-made cannon at Maghreb time. People thought that this gesture was a sign to break their fast.
A third account places the origin of this practice later, during the time of Khedive Ismail in the late 19th century in Egypt. The story goes that soldiers were testing a cannon that went off exactly at Maghreb time.
When Fatimah, the Khedive's daughter, heard about this, she issued a decree saying that the cannon should be used at Maghreb and during official events on Eid days.
That's why it is sometimes called “Fatimah's cannon.”
The canon has a special place in the hearts of many in Makkah and is handled by the city's police every Ramadan.
Maj. Abd Al-Mohsin Al-Maimani, spokesman for the Makkah police department, said people wait for the sound of the canon.
“When Makkah police was founded 70 years ago, it was entrusted with the maintenance and care of this cannon. After Eid, the cannon is returned to a special department. A few days before Ramadan, it is sent back to the mountain. The powder is handled by a special team so that no one gets hurt,” he said.