Azan 1

On the last day of this recording session, at the suggestion of the ruling government, Djenāb Damāvandi was asked to record a religious piece due to his vast vocal range and high technique, which set him apart from other singers of his time. As a result, he decided to record an Azān (call to prayer), which not only became the first recorded Azān in Iran but also, due to his innovation in using the Bayāt-e Tork mode and adding a Persian translation to the Arabic text, this disk became the best-selling 78 rpm record in the history of the country. The warm voice and impactful tone of Mirzā Asadollah Khān Atābaki made the Persian translation of this Azān particularly captivating. During the Qajar era, not everyone had access to a phonograph (record player). Therefore, from the year 1291 (the year this record was made) until around 1320, when radio was officially introduced in Iran, the sound of Damāvandi's Azān and call to prayer could be heard in households with phonographs, coffeehouses, and other public places where people gathered for prayer or fasting.