Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Dueling Muezzin.

Early, really early. Sound asleep. Speakers blare. The Islamic call to prayer. This morning at 5:30 a.m.-ish. It's the muezzin advising worshipers that the time for prayer is now, this moment.  But it's not just the call from the minaret next to my hotel, but from mosques  everywhere -- broadcast from several speakers perched near the top, or on top of each minaret.

Once one muezzin begins, they all begin. Each a different man's voice. The calls overlap and often are a second apart, not beginning at exactly the same moment. While I think they are not all calling the same words, I am certain they are all the same. Or maybe not?

The first two mornings, I didn't hear the call. The next morning I heard it clearly. And it was loud. The Blue Mosque nearby has six minarets, each with several speakers on top. Four more times a day the muezzin will sound the call to prayer, recorded, not live, I imagine, though I could be wrong again.  Hear what the mezzuin sounds like by clicking this link.

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