Loudspeakers in mosques
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Loudspeakers were invented in the early 20th century, and they were introduced in mosques in the 1930s, where they are used by a muezzin for the adhan ("call to prayer"),[1] and sometimes for khutbah in Islam. Outdoor loudspeakers, usually mounted on tall minarets, are used five times a day for the call to prayer.[2] Loudspeakers are sometimes also used inside mosques to deliver sermons or for prayer.[3] Electrically amplified adhans have become commonplace in countries such as Turkey and Morocco,[4] whereas in others such as the Netherlands only 7 to 8% of all mosques employ loudspeakers for the call to prayer.[5]
The loudspeakers are also used as an early warning system and function as civil defense sirens in countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.