Ezan (Call to Prayer)

Description:

• Q: What's the only event that occurs five times a day all over Istanbul, provides a moment of tranquility, and is free and open to the public? A: The Muslim call to prayer, or ezan, as it's called in Turkish. At dawn, dusk, and three other times during the day, you'll hear the muezzins (often over a loudspeaker) longingly encourage the faithful to begin their prayers. One of the best times and places to listen to the ezan is at dawn on the Asian side of town, when there is almost no traffic or other noise, and where there is a greater concentration of mosques. The muezzins will be slightly off in the exact timing, so you'll sometimes hear a chorus of the chanting in different tones with different emphases for four or five minutes!
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