Rahim Moazenzadeh Ardabili (; September 23, 1925 – May 25, 2005) 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 ...

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 ...

. He is known as the "

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name), or Belal or Bilel, including a list of people with the name * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad, made calls for prayers * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places * Bi ...

of Iran."

Moazenzadeh was born in Ardabil province to a religious Azeri-Iranian family. His father Abdul Karim Moazzen Zadeh Ardabili was the first

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 ...

to call the

adhan The (, ) is the Islamic call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin, traditionally from the minaret of a mosque, shortly before each of the five obligatory daily prayers. The adhan is also the first phrase said in the ear of a newborn baby, ...

, or call to prayer, on Iranian television. His voice was broadcast by radio from 1943–1947, and he carried out the morning program of radio at the Imamzadeh Mosque 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. ...

, until 1947 when he died. Rahim continued to issue the call to prayer after him. His adhan is recited in the dastgah of Bayat-e Turk, a musical scale in Azerbaijani

traditional music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. It can still be heard on Iranian radio and is regularly played on television. Moazenzadeh has stated: Moazenzadeh died in Tehran at the age of 80.

Legacy

Moazenzadeh's adhan, recorded in 1955 while fasting, has been officially registered as an item in Iran's national List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is the first adhan to be included in the registry, according to Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization. It was also added to the

UNESCO Memory of the World Register The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

in 2012. Iranian singer and ''

ostad Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, incl ...

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian Mohammad-Reza Shajarian (; , 23 September 1940 – 8 October 2020) was an Iranian singer and master (''Ostad'') of Persian traditional music. He was also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy and humanitarian activities. Shajarian started ...

says about Moazenzadeh's

Adhan The (, ) is the Islamic call to prayer, usually recited by a muezzin, traditionally from the minaret of a mosque, shortly before each of the five obligatory daily prayers. The adhan is also the first phrase said in the ear of a newborn baby, ...

Shahram Nazeri Shahram Nazeri (, ; born 18 February 1950) is a contemporary Iranian tenor of Kurdish origin from Kermanshah, Iran, who sings Sufi music, classical and traditional Kurdish and Persian music. He has been accompanied by some of the masters of Ira ...

, another ''ostad'' and Iranian classical musician, says:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moazenzadeh Ardabili, Rahim People from Ardabil Mu'azzins Performers of Islamic music 1925 births 2005 deaths Iranian Azerbaijanis Iranian singers 20th-century Iranian male singers Iran