Ramadan lights were installed in London’s West End for the first time ever to celebrate the beginning of the holy month.  

The installation comprising 30,000 sustainable lights was switched on by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

It is the first time a European capital city has presented such a display for the festival. The lights will be up for the duration of Ramadan.

The installation is run by the non-profit organisation Ramadan Lights UK and funded by the Aziz Foundation and Algbra.

The Ramadan Lights are the brainchild ofAisha Desai. She started the campaign three years ago in north London, where she put up Ramadan lights funded by the community.

“I wanted to just do it in a bigger scale and had dreams and ambitions of doing it in Regent Street, and Oxford Street, and Coventry Street and Piccadilly — and all around London,” she told Islam Channel.  

“It’s been incredible. The response has been amazing. The support has been amazing. It’s surreal.”

Aziz Foundation’s Rahima Aziz said: “I can’t even put it into words. It’s so inspiring to be able to see this.”  

“I hope people will be inspired to do this elsewhere in Europe and the World as well.

“Having it on a street, iconic, like this in other cities, will help Muslims feel like they’re a part of that city, which is so important.  

Zaynab Tariq, social media manager at Algbra, said: “We’ve never seen something like this in Central London. So having our religion represented on the streets, in the heart of London, is phenomenal.”