Middle East & Africa | Beethoven at dawn

Jordanians wake to an irritating tune blared from gas trucks

A nation debates whether the trucks should shut up

|AMMAN

EVERY DAY many groggy Jordanians are woken by the sound of Beethoven blasted down the street. Trucks selling gas cylinders drive around playing a tinny electronic version of “Für Elise” in the early hours of the morning, alerting customers in the style of an ice-cream van. Residents in need of gas flag down the van when they hear the sound. Some consider the gas-truck music a part of Jordanian life’s rich soundtrack. Others think it is noise pollution.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A jingle makes nerves jangle”

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