Azaan

For me, one of the most appealing aspects of coming to Istanbul was the idea of being absolutely surrounded by mosques. Ancient, beautiful, historic, and even modern mosques seem to pepper the entire landscape. And with these mosques comes the regular call to prayer--the azaan.

There's something about the azaan that makes me want to stop in my tracks, close my eyes, kneel on the ground, and just listen. In my entire life, I have yet to hear a muezzin with anything less than a perfect voice, ringing clear and beautiful through the streets. And while this has never been a part of my own religious culture, there's something in it that draws me in. Makes me want to be a better Muslim. Calls for me to do some soul-searching, to connect myself to Islam's roots. I don't know where this comes from, but I can definitely say that this is the feeling that brought me here in the first place.