The 2nd international Quran and adhan competition Otr Elkalam has begun. The TV competition, one of the initiatives of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, kicked off after the 1st episode introduced the competition mechanism and the contestants on 24 March.
The show saw Quran recitations before experts in the rules of recitation, phonetics and maqamat (music structures).
The 25th was associated with hearing the adhan in the style of Sheikh Ali Ahmed Mulla, the senior muezzin of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, raised by contestant Mohammed Raqib Al-Hassan.
In the recitation track, KSA contestant Abdulaziz Hassan Al-Faqih, who recites in the Hijazi tradition, participated in the first round of Quran recitation. Al-Faqih qualified for the next stage and became the first qualifier in this track at the expense of his American rival of Palestinian origin, Yasser Omar Shaheen.
The competition, which is broadcast on MBC1 and the Shahid digital platform daily during Ramadhan, aims to highlight the distinguished voices in the recitation of the Holy Quran and raising the adhan, and improving the knowledge of contestants and viewers through the professional observations of the jury, which is composed of specialists in sounds and maqamat.
The episodes of Otr Elkalam can be watched on the show's YouTube channel via the link https://www.youtube.com/@OtrElkalam
The competition has allocated prizes totaling US$3.3 M to the winners, which is the largest prize in the history of international competitions of this kind. The first-place winner in the Quran recitation track receives US$800,000, while the first-place winner in the Adhan track receives US$534,000.