Today begins the holy month of Ramadan, Islam’s period of fasting, prayer, and charity. For the next 30 days, millions of Muslims around the word will participate in sawm, zakat & sadaqah, tarawih, and salah. And this year, YouTube wants to make the experience a little more digital.

For the entire month, YouTube has devoted a channel to streaming the Mecca prayers live. For Muslims who cannot make the pilgrimage, they can view the holy city from the comfort of their own home.

YouTube has also devoted a new channel to showing the special television programming created for Ramadan. They say that over time, the channel will house over 50 shows:

Ramadan is about more than just prayer; it is also a special moment to gather with friends and family. Muslims gather to watch special television shows produced for the holiday and shown only during Ramadan. Often the shows overlap in scheduling. This year, for the first time, YouTube is enabling people to watch their favorite shows anytime, anywhere. A new YouTube Ramadan channel lets viewers see more than 50 premium Ramadan shows the same day they air. In the clip below, famed Syrian actor Jamal Suliman appears in a drama:

On top of this, Google+ will host 30 days of Hangouts featuring actors, poets, chefs, and more.