Six in the evening is the iftar hour during Ramadan in the current run of years, and for that month it is the most closely watched time on the clock in the whole country. The fast ends at sunset, which moves by a minute or so each day, and the cannon fired at the announced moment is the signal a great many people still wait for rather than checking a screen.
The half hour before it is the heaviest traffic of the entire year, as everyone tries to be home or at a table at the same instant, followed by roads that empty completely for twenty minutes.
Outside Ramadan the same hour is simply the start of the evening: the fountain shows at the foot of the Burj Khalifa running on the half hour, evening classes beginning, and gyms at their fullest. The countdown resets daily.
Common questions
Is 6 pm the time of iftar?
It is close to it in the current run of years, but iftar falls at sunset, which moves by a minute or so daily and shifts through the calendar as Ramadan does.
What is the cannon?
A cannon fired at the announced moment of sunset during Ramadan, used as the signal that the fast has ended.
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