Muslims around the world mark the start of Ramadan

Millions of Muslims around the world marked the start of Ramadan on Thursday (June18), a month of intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

Bosnian Muslim women offer a prayer during late night prayer for upcoming holy month of Ramadan, inside memorial room for Srebrenica massacre victims, at the memorial center Potocari, near Srebrenica, northeast of the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on Wednesday. Family members of the Srebrenica victims killed in July, 1995, will mark the first night of Ramadan at the memorial center Potocari, in front of the graves of killed Muslims from this small Bosnian town. Ramadan celebrations in Srebrenica are unlike anywhere else in the world. This is the only place where the living join the dead in prayer. Emotional evening ahead of first day of Ramadan gathers all Muslim returnees at the graveyard, paying respects to their dearest as the fasting begins. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

A Yemeni vendor, center, displays date products in a variety of taste and flavor at a market ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, on Wednesday. Muslims traditionally break their fast like the Prophet Muhammad did some 1,400 years ago, with a sip of water and some dates at sunset. That first sip of water is by far the most anticipated moment of the day. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Indonesian Muslim women offer an evening prayer called "taraweeh" marking the first eve of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Indonesian Muslim men offer an evening prayer called "tarawih" marking the first eve of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Iranians look at the sky with binoculars for the new moon that signals the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, on top of the landmark, the Milad telecommunication tower, in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday. Iran announced the Thursday as the first day of month of Ramadan. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

A young boy buys olives in a souk in Casablanca, Morocco. Many Moroccans flock to stores to buy food before the announcement of the beginning of the holy month. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Workers prepare sweets, at a market in Casablanca, Morocco. The fast is intended to bring the faithful closer to God and to remind them of the suffering of those less fortunate. Muslims often donate to charities during the month and feed the hungry. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

A Pakistani vendor waits for customers to sell caps in Karachi. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Palestinians walk near to a large traditional Ramadan lantern decorated a shop as a celebration for the announcing of the holy month of Ramadan, in Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Palestinian children buy traditional Ramadan lanterns to celebrate the announcing of the holy month of Ramadan, in Gaza City on Wednesday. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Palestinian vendors decorate the market with lanterns and national flags celebrating the announcing of the holy month of Ramadan, in Gaza City. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Muslims follow a lunar calendar and a moon-sighting methodology that can lead to different countries declaring the start of Ramadan a day or two apart. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Muslims gather in the iconic Sultan Ahmed Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Turkey, late Wednesday, for the first 'taraweeh', nightly prayer of the month of Ramadan. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

People take pictures in front of the iconic Sultan Ahmed Mosque, better known as the Blue Mosque, decorated with lights marking th month of Ramadan, in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Turkey, late Wednesday. The lights read in Turkish: 'Welcome Holy Ramadan'. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)

Chinese Muslims offer prayers as worshippers prepare to leave the worship hall on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Niujie Mosque, the oldest and largest mosque in Beijing, China, Thursday (June 18). The end of Ramadan is marked by intense worship as Muslims seek to have their prayers answered during "Laylat al-Qadr'' or "the Night of Destiny.'' It is on this night, which falls during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, that Muslims believe that God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad and revealed the first versus of the Quran. (Source: Photo by Associated Press)