The role of the urban soundscape in identification of Baghdad traditional city

Abstract

Sounds of the city reflect daily life activity, social interaction, and special features. The interaction between people and sounds strengthens the identity of a place in the city. Each city has its own characteristics and elements of sounds that distinguish it. There were many recent studies that define the city soundscape. The main research problem is the lack of knowledge about the role of the urban soundscape in the identification of Baghdad traditional city. This article studied the impact of urban soundscape and analyzed its characteristics and elements and its effect on identification of traditional Baghdad city, a questionnaire were conducted in 10 points about the patterns of sound sources and the presence of sounds, satisfaction, belonging, relaxing, spatial enclosure, annoying, specialty of the soundscape, the locate of position, and gradient of sounds, and a total of 30 people were interviewed in three main traditional streets in Al-Shawakaa traditional district. Measurements of sound pressure levels were also made for the total sounds to identify the most prominent types of sounds. The results showed that soundscape for the traditional cities had its indices that enhancing human awareness of soundscape and identification of the place.

Soundscapes in Arab Cities: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

“…Additionally, seasonal variations, time of day and weather conditions introduce temporal variations into the soundscape. Furthermore, daily life, use of space, human activities, interactions, and the cultural identity associated with a particular space shape the character of the soundscape [53]. The history of a space also leaves its imprint on its soundscape.…”

“…The celebrations include public gatherings, songs, prayers, traditional music, fireworks, and other customs. This soundscape is closely tied to the religious and cultural identity of the community, promoting a sense of belonging [28,53,67].…”

Assessing the Soundscape Characteristics of Historical Urban Environments: An Analysis of the Historical Erbil Citadel and Its Environments

“…The soundscape of historical cities possesses distinctive features and varies from one city to another worldwide. Across the annals of history, cities have been delineated by auditory attributes that shape the soundscape, aiding individuals in recognizing the unique character of each city [21]. Each community's soundscape will be unique, and at least as part of what makes an urban soundscape different will make it special and different.…”

“…These symbolic sounds are important for the continuity of the urban identity. Every sound in historical cities gives us clues about that city and allows us to determine the cultural and social characteristics of that city [21]. Gary Siebein [22] defined the soundscape of worship as "centered around the presence of a cosmos, God, or a higher power deserving of worship, with whom people seek to communicate in various ways".…”

Phenomenological approach on the role of sonic heritage as an intangible heritage

“…(Yelmi, Kuşcu, and Yantaç 2016, 1). Recently, Hassan and Taha (2020) investigated the impact of urban soundscape and analyzed its characteristics and elements and its effect on identification of traditional Baghdad city in Iraq. Djimantoro and Sakina (2020) also recorded Indonesians' perceptions of the sound environment in several cities in Indonesia.…”