Salim Moazenzadeh Ardabili (; October 7, 1936 – November 22, 2016) was an

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

maddah and

muezzin The muezzin (; ), also spelled mu'azzin, is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer ( ṣalāt) five times a day ( Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer and Isha prayer) at a mosque from the minaret. The muezzin ...

, known for religious singing in Azerbaijani,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, all of which he was fluent in. Moazenzadeh was born in 1936 in

Tazeh Shahr Tazeh Shahr () is a city in the Central District of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Demographics Ethnicity The city is populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis who follow Shia Islam. Population At the time of the 2006 National Census ...

Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...

to a religious Azeri-Iranian family. His father, Abdolkarim Moazenzadeh Ardabili, was the first muezzin on Iranian radio, and his brother,

Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili (; September 23, 1925 – May 25, 2005) was an Iran, Iranian muezzin. He is known as the "Bilal ibn Rabah, Bilal of Iran." Moazenzadeh was born in Ardabil Province, Ardabil province to a religious Iranian Azerbaijani ...

, was also a revered muezzin who passed away in 2005. In his youth and middle age, Moazenzadeh often performed for

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

ceremonies at

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

and husayniyya in Ardabil and

Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...

. In his later years, he also performed in mosques in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Death

Moazenzadeh died on November 22, 2016, at the age of 80 in Ardabil. He was buried the following day in the Fakhra section of

Behesht-e Zahra Behesht-e Zahra ( ; ) is the largest cemetery in Iran. Located in the southern part of metropolitan Tehran, it is connected to the city by Tehran Metro Line 1. History In the early 1950s, all the cemeteries in Tehran were supposed to be replac ...

in Ardabil. Following his death, several public figures in Iran expressed their condolences, including

Ali Akbar Salehi Ali Akbar Salehi (, ; born 24 March 1949) is an Iranian academic, diplomat and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, who served in this position from 2009 to 2010 and also from 2013 to 2021. He served for the first time as head ...

(head of the Atomic Energy Organization),

Ali Larijani Ali Ardashir Larijani (born 3 June 1958) is an Iranian politician and former military officer in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who served as the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran from 2008 to 2020. He has been a member of the Expediency ...

(Speaker of Parliament), Abdolali Ali-Asgari (head of the Iranian national media), Seyyed Reza Salehi Amiri (Minister of Culture),

Ali Younesi Ali Younesi (born 26 August 1955) is an Iranian politician, who served in different positions. Education Younesi is a graduate of Haqqani School, the Haqqani school in Qom. Career Following the Islamic Revolution, Younesi became the head of th ...

(former Minister of Intelligence),

Ali Daei Ali Daei ( ; born 21 March 1969) is an Iranian Association football, football manager and former professional footballer. A Striker (association football), striker, he was the captain (association football), captain of the Iran national footbal ...

(football coach),

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(President of Iran), Mohsen Rezaei (former IRGC commander), and

Ezzatollah Zarghami Sayyid Ezzatollah Zarghami (; born 26 February 1959) is an Iranian conservative politician and former minister of Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts. He is a former military officer. Zarghami was Deputy of Minister in Cultur ...

(former head of the national broadcaster).

Works

Moazenzadeh reportedly spent an average of five hours per day performing religious songs. He recorded over 2,000 cassette tapes of his performances in Azerbaijani, Persian, and Arabic since the development of recording technology in Iran. Salim described a good religious singing voice as a "delicate art," requiring melody, tone modulation, clear diction, and suitable vocal ornaments. Among his works are the

noha A Nowheh, Nohay or Noha ( ''nowheh'', ; translit. ''nūḥa/nawḥa''; ), when interpreted in light of Shia views, is an elegy about the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali and his family and companions in the Battle of Karbala. Marsiya and Nowheh hav ...

(elegy) "Zaynab Zaynab" and his

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

recitations.

Legacy

In July 2019, Salim Moazenzadeh's style of religious singing, including

(elegy),

mawlid The Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of some Sunnis, Mawlid is al ...

(celebration), and munajat (supplication), was registered as an item under Iran's national List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, with the reference number 1830.

External Links

* *
Salim Moazenzadeh on Aftab News

Interview with Salim Moazenzadeh on Aparat

Biography of Salim Moazenzadeh

References

Research on Ardabil Music – Andelib Radio Iran, January 10, 2021
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moazenzadeh Ardebili, Salim People from Ardabil 1936 births 2016 deaths Azerbaijani-language singers Maddahs Mu'azzins Iranian Azerbaijanis Iranian singers 20th-century Iranian male singers Iran