TEHRAN — In the bustling city of Tehran, nestled in a century-old building, lies a treasure trove of Iran’s auditory history. Saeed Anvarinejad, along with a team of fellow enthusiasts, has spent months tracking down the earliest recordings of Iranian music, speeches, interviews, theatrical plays, radio broadcasts, and even the hum of daily life from over a century ago up to the present day.
Anvarinejad, one of the organizers of the “SoundScape” exhibition, believes that sound is a phenomenon that is often overlooked, despite its immense importance. He emphasizes that the era of early sound recording in Iran holds great significance in the socio-political history of the country.
“The oldest surviving sound recordings from Iran date back to 1898 and 1899, during the reign of Mozaffar al-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty,” says Anvarinejad. The Qajar dynasty, which reigned over Iran from the late 18th to the early 20th century, witnessed the unfolding of the Constitutional Revolution – a pivotal moment in Iran’s political transformation that established a parliament and constitutional monarchy.
“It was a time of great change, when a new order was taking shape in the Iranian mind. Important things were happening politically, socially, and culturally,” adds Anvarinejad. “We wanted to present a new approach to the sound from that time and engage audiences with it.”
As I entered the exhibition, I was immediately transported back in time. The wooden-framed antique radio, with its dial and knobs, was a sight to behold. Upon tuning it, I was greeted with a chilling broadcast announcing the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953. Mosaddegh had pushed for the nationalization of Iran’s oil industry, which sparked a coup d’etat orchestrated by the United States and Britain.
But the exhibition is not just about political events. It also showcases the rich cultural heritage of Iran through its sound recordings. One of the most striking installations involved a mechanical device mounted on a concrete wall, with gears, chains, wheels, and a lever. This device played old recordings of the stringed tar instrument through retro telephone handsets, giving visitors a unique and immersive experience.
Another installation, Mowj Negar, featured printed sound waves arranged in three rows on one wall, with a metal device that moved along the waves. As the device moved, it activated melodies from the Qajar and early Pahlavi (1925-79) eras, which once echoed through Iran’s grand palaces and bustling city streets.
But not all periods in Iran’s auditory history are equally represented. Atabak Axon, another exhibition organizer, explains that there is a 12-year silence in Iran’s auditory history, which remains a mysterious void. “There are no sound recordings from Iran during this period, not because technology was unavailable, but likely because the country was in such turmoil that recording sound was not a priority,” says Axon.
For centuries, sound has played a central role in Persian culture, connecting belief with poetry and identity. This is evident in the oldest surviving sound recording from Iran, which is a call to prayer from either 1912 or 1913. The exhibition also features the 1959 report on the death of Qamar, the first woman singer to perform in public in the country.
For 21-year-old Sarvin Faizian, visiting the exhibition with friends was a deeply moving experience. “It felt as if I was experiencing my parents’ past,” she says. Similarly, Fatemeh Sadeghi described feeling overwhelmed by nostalgia, while 63-year-old Kamran Asadi found the exhibition unexpectedly personal. “It is a very good and intimate atmosphere for me,” he says, as he lingers on an old song playing in the background. “It is good for the younger generation to learn where Iran’s heritage of music and art came from.”
The “SoundScape” exhibition not only showcases the evolution of sound recording technology in Iran but also highlights the country’s rich cultural and political history. It is a reminder of the power of sound to capture and preserve moments in time, and the importance of preserving and celebrating our heritage. As I left the exhibition, I couldn’t help but feel grateful to Anvarinejad and his team for their efforts in bringing Iran’s auditory history to life.
