The acoustical performance of mosques� main prayer hall

geometry in the eastern province, Saudi arabia

Hany Hossam Eldien, Hani Al Qahtani

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Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference 23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France

The acoustical performance of mosques’ main prayer

hall geometry in the eastern province, Saudi arabia
H. Hossam Eldien and H. Al Qahtani
Dammam Univ., P O Box 2397, 31451 Dammam, Saudi Arabia
hany.hossam@gmail.com

949
23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference

Abstract

The study of mosque acoustics, with regard to acoustical characteristics, sound quality for speech intelligibility,
and other applicable acoustic criteria, has been largely neglected. In this study we discuss how mosque design is
influenced by worship considerations. In this study the acoustical characteristics of typically constructed
contemporary mosques without domes in Saudi Arabia had been investigated. Extensive field measurements had
been taken in varies representative mosques of different forms and architectural features in order to characterize
their acoustical quality and to identify the impact of its prayer hall form on their acoustics performance.
Objective room-acoustic indicators such as reverberation time (RT) and the early decay time (EDT) have been
tested. The speech transmission index (STI) had been measured without the operation of existing sound
reinforcement systems. The results will show the acoustical quality in the investigated mosques, unoccupied
case.

1 Introduction • One is prayers, either individually or in a group

The mosque as an important building type of Muslim
architecture has evolved to meet Islamic needs. A variety of
different worship activities happen within these
multifunctional public spaces; these different uses have
different acoustical requirements. As in many other
religions, worshippers sometimes need solitude while at
other times they want to feel in absolute unity with the
others present. Acoustics are one of the basic means of
creating different effects [1]. The architect Sinan’s mosques
have been studied in a European Commission Fifth
Framework INCO-MED Program called “Conservation of
the Acoustical Heritage by Revival and Identification of
Sinan’s Mosques’ Acoustics (CAHRISMA) [2]. The goal
of this project is the identification, revival and conservation
of Hybrid Architectural Heritage (visual + acoustical
heritages) in a real-time virtual environment. Sinan.s
Mosques and Byzantine Churches, which are worship
spaces well known for their good acoustical qualities, are
chosen as the building types to be utilised for the realisation
of that goal [2].
Fausti, Pompoli and Prodi compared the acoustics of
mosques and churches [3]. They found that reverberation
time, in the unoccupied condition, is very long, giving them
a unique feeling of majesty. In another study, Karabiber and
Erdogan [4] compared the ancient mosque of Kadırga
Sokullu Mehmet Pasa with a recent one, Sisli Merkez. They
concluded that although there was no great difference
between the total sound absorption of the spaces, the
acoustics in the ancient mosque was better. Sinan’s
important mosques have been analyzed in other studies
besides the CAHRISMA project (Kayili, 2002; Topaktas,
2003). Kayili (2000) [5,6].
The Architectural works of Sinan are among the most
successful applications of acoustic science. Sinan designed
a total space for the interior of the mosque, not divided into
spaces and reduced to the size of room. The interior volume
of the Selimiye Mosque is approximately 75,000 m3 and,
naturally, it is evident that the problem of the power of the
sound source will arise. To overcome this problem, Sinan
placed the muezzin's mahfil exactly in the centre of the total
space. The dome and also cavity resonators are directly
above the sound source [7].
The acoustical quality of the mosques has also been
discussed in the literature [1-8]. Mosque design is mainly
influenced by worship considerations; three distinct
activities are carried out in a mosque, either separately or
together:
led by a leader, the Imam.
• The second is attendance at a sermon being
delivered on its own or within the Friday noon
prayers.
• The third is listening to or reciting some verses
from the Holy Quran.
All these activities require a high level of speech
audibility and intelligibility. To ensure good listening
conditions acoustical needs must be considered in the
design phase [8].
In summary, there are three distinct acoustical
requirements for mosques:
• Audibility of the prayer orders of the Imam
(prayer leader)
• Recognizable sermon of the preacher
• Listening to or joining in the recital of the
musical versions of the Holy Quran.
Thus, intelligibility of both speech and other sounds is
extremely important, especially important for holy tones
that must be both spacious and effective. Several acoustical
parameters govern speech audibility, intelligibility and
spaciousness of sound; the parameters usually employed in
the acoustical analysis of mosques are reverberation time,
sound pressure level distribution and sound transmission
index.
In this study, two types of Mosques will be chosen as an
example of the architectural style concrete mosques to
investigate this specific condition and its outcome in
mosque acoustics. In order to clarify of the manner, the
purpose of this study is also to evaluate and predict the
acoustical quality of Mosques prayer halls by assessing
these parameters as major variables. This paper focuses on
the acoustical effect of the architectural configuration of
prayer halls mosque in relation to mosques and in
particular: a case study of 2 types of mosques in Eastern
Province, Saudi Arabia. It explores the acoustical impact of
its principal form with various shapes and configurations.
1.1 Worship Considerations and Their
Influence on Spatial Arrangement
The distinct worship activities inside mosques include
prayer, public speaking, preaching, lecturing, and Qur’an
recitations. The activities are performed by people either
individually or in conjunction with others. The activities
may be categorized into one of two primary worship

950
Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference
modes: prayer mode or preaching mode. In prayer mode, all
mosque users are either standing, bowing, or prostrating,
always on the same floor level, and aligned in rows parallel
to the Qibla’ wall (front wall), with the imam (speaker)
facing away from listeners. In preaching mode, the listeners
are sitting on the floor in rows parallel to the Qibla’ wall,
while the imam is standing on a four-step high platform
(minbar) facing the listeners. The worship activities
generally require adequate speech audibility and
intelligibility. The leader or imam generally stands in front
of the gathering, near the mihrab, a distinct area provided
for him. General mosque orientation is based on the
position of the mihrab, which is intended to face the Qibla’
(a cubical building at Mecca, Saudi Arabia). Prayer from
the imam is to address the gathering from his position. For
certain prayers such as Jumma (Friday) prayers, the imam
addresses the gathering with preaching, or khutba, from the
minbar, which in general is considered to be high enough
for the gathering’s visibility (see Figure1).
Figure 1. Preaching inside the prayer hall.
The congregational capacity of the mosque is usually
determined by the floor area divided by the area required
per worshipper to perform various prayers motions. This is
approximately 0.80 x 1.2 = 0.96 m2 (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Praying inside the prayer hall, the imam is
leading the prayer followed by the worshippers.
Most parts of the interior of mosques are intended to be
finished with acoustically reflective materials such as
painted plaster and tile (both marble and ceramic).
However, the floor area was to be covered with heavy
carpet. The ceilings, including the dome, will be finished
with painted plaster and ornamentation. Arches made from
concrete and finished with painted plaster will be used as
joint elements between the columns to strengthen the
construction and to provide interior decorative elements.
1.2 Prayer hall
The prayer hall, also known as the Musalla, rarely has
furniture; chairs and pews are generally absent from the
prayer hall so as to allow as many worshipers as possible to
line the room. Some mosques have Arabic calligraphy and
Qur'anic verses on the walls to assist worshippers in
951
23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France
focusing on the beauty of Islam and its holiest book, the
Qur'an, as well as for decoration. Usually opposite the
entrance to the prayer hall is the qiblah wall, the visually
emphasized area inside the prayer hall. The qiblah wall
should, in a properly oriented mosque, be set perpendicular
to a line leading to Mecca, the location of the Kaaba.
Congregants pray in rows parallel to the qiblah wall and
thus arrange themselves so they face Mecca. In the qiblah
wall, usually at its center, is the mihrab, a niche or
depression indicating the direction of Mecca. Usually the
mihrab is not occupied by furniture either. Sometimes,
especially during Friday prayers, a raised minbar or pulpit
is located to the side of the mihrab for a khatib or some
other speaker to offer a sermon (khutbah). The mihrab
serves as the location where the imam leads the five daily
prayers on a regular basis. Most of mosques have typically
a simple rectangular form, walled enclosure with a roofed
prayer-hall. The long side of the rectangle is always
oriented towards the holy mosque in Makka and to its right
an elevated floor (Minbar) is used by the Imam to deliver
the religious "Friday" speech preceding the prayers. Figure3
illustrates the congregation performing daily individual or
group prayers and congregation listening to Friday speech.
Interior finishing materials of mosques are varying from
one country to another. However, mosque walls are
commonly finished with painted plaster. Wall wainscots are
sometimes covered with marble tiles or wooden boards or
panels tongued and grooved to compose a vertical pattern.
The floor area is always carpeted. Plastered and painted
concrete ceilings with simple to elaborate decorations and
/or inscriptions are commonly used. Depending on the
climatic conditions, the mosque may be equipped with an
air conditioning system, in concert with some ceiling fans.
(a) (b)
Figure 3. a) congregation performing daily individual or
group prayers, b) congregation listening to Friday speech.
2 Methodology
Group prayer must be performed with individuals
standing, behind the Imam, in straight rows around 1.2 m
apart and parallel to the Qibla wall. Consequently, it is
desired that the mosque shape be bounded by straight
parallel walls, one of which includes the Qibla niche.
Religious preference is higher for those praying in the
first rows compared to late arriving individuals. Hence first
rows are preferred to be longer or at least equal to the
subsequent remaining ones. Majority of mosques in eastern
23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference

province have rectangular 1:2 and square plans with a long
side perpendicular to the direction of the Qibla. These two
forms were acoustically studied. These prototypes can be
considered to be medium-size, community mosques with a
prayer hall plan of approximately 1600.0 m2 and 4.00 clear
heights and without a dome. Table 1 presents the prayer
halls geometric information of the proposed mosques.
Table 2 shows the intern finishing materials of the selected
mosques
Measurements of the STI had been performed using B&K
speech transmission meter type 3361. The transmitter type
4225 had been located at the position of Imam on the
Minber, while the receiver type 4419 had been moved
around, following the prearranged grid points.
Imam position Khatib position

Table 1. Geometric information of mosque shapes

Rectangle 1:2
Floor
Dimensions Volume
Mosque Form Area
W, L, H m3
m2
Rectangular 1:2 14.15 x 28.30 400.44 1601.76
x 4.00
Square 20.00 x 20.00 400.00 1600.00 15 18 20 23 25 28 30 33 35

x 4.00 43 42 29 28 15 14 1 43 42 29 28 15 14 1

2.4m 2.4m 2.4m 2.4m

44 41 30 27 16 13 2 44 41 30 27 16 13 2

2.4m
2.4m
Square
Two different worship scenarios were examined by the
45 40 31 26 17 12 3 45 40 31 26 17 12 3

2.4m
2.4m
4 X O

experimentation. In the first scenario the congregation

46 39 32 25 18 11 4 X P1 O 46 39 32 25 18 11

47 38 33 24 19 10 5 47 38 33 24 19 10 5 P1

(worshippers) is performing the prayer behind the Imam 48 37 34 23 20 9 6

Y

48 37 34 23 20 9 6
Y

who is reciting in a standing position facing the Qibla niche 49 36 35 22 21 8 7 49 36 35 22 21 8 7

using his raised voice. It is natural that persons delivering

speech without the aid of Electro-acoustic sound system
tend to raise their voice. Figure 4. Source and receiver points for 1:2 rectangle and
square forms.
Table 2. The intern finishing materials of the selected
mosques. 3 Results and Discussion
Surface Material
3.1 Triangular form 1:2
walls 1m &Mihrab Cladding of Marble Tiles Firstly we discuss the results obtained by the 1st
Walls Painted plaster surfaces on brick scenario (Imam Position). For the given mosque volume
(1600.0 m3) the optimum RTm value for speech purposes
Floor Carpet heavy on concrete should be in the range from 0.6 to 1.9 [9]. The
Marble reverberation times are presented in figure 5 as contour
corridors
maps and in figure 6 as a function of worshipper’s rows.
Taking into account the the RT30 optimum levels for
The background noise in the mosques is measured. The mosques of these size, which are between 0,60s and 1,90s
worshippers are assumed to be also standing listening to the seconds, we found that all receiver points have long RT30
Imam as is usually the case during performing the “Daily” and especially at low frequencies. RT values ranges from
prayers. Their ear height is taken to be 1.65 m from the 2.15s to 2.35s at 1kHz. Furthermore, the receiver points at
floor. In the second scenario, the Imam is assumed to be the right side of the mosque have long RT30 than those
delivering the Friday speech in a raised voice, without the located at the left side.
aid of sound reinforcement system, from the Minbar which
is elevated about 1.25 meter from the mosque floor. His 4.93 4.93

mouth height is around 2.80 m from the floor. The 4.63 4.63

worshippers are assumed to be seated on the floor listening

4.32 4.32

4.03 4.03

to the speech as is usually the case during Friday prayer. 3.72

3.42
3.72

3.42

Their ear height is taken to be 0.80 m from the floor. P1

3.13

2.83 P1 P1
3.13

2.83

Measurements had been realized when the mosque is 2.52

2.22
2.52

2.22

assumed empty. Figures 4 demonstrates the positions of 1.92 1.92

Sources and receiver points for all configurations (44

1.63 1.63

1.32 1.32

receiver points for the rectangle form and 49 receiver points

1.02 1.02

0.72 0.72

for square form). <= 0.55 <= <= 0.55

The reverberation time of the mosque had been (a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz
measured using B&K building acoustic analyzer type 2250,
a B&K power amplifier type 2716, a reference Omni Power
Sound Source Types 4292 and ½ inch B&K microphone Figure 5. RT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry,
type 4134. Measurements had been carried out, in octave when the mosque is assumed empty, a: at 500Hz, b: at
bands, for the frequency range 100Hz to 8 kHz. 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Imam position).

952
Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference 23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France

0.6
2.35

0.55

2.3

0.5
STI,R1
RT,R1

STI
RT, s

2.25 STI,R2
RT,R2 0.45
RT,R3 STI,R3
2.2 RT,R4 STI,R4
0.4

2.15 0.35

0.3
2.1 1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
Reciever Points by Row
Reciever Points by Row

Figure 6. RT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry at
1kHz as a function of worshippers rows (Imam position).
For our proposed mosques, EDT should be between 2.7s
and 3.85s [9].Early decay time is measured keeping the
same source and receiver positions where RT
measurements are realised. Figures 7 and 8 demonstrate
that the value of early decay time obtained by this type
ranges from 1.8s to 2.2s. These values are near to RT
values and are shorter than the optimum value, and for all
receiver points.
Figure 9. STI for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry as a
function of worshippers’ rows (Imam position).
Secondly we discuss the results obtained by the 2nd
scenario (Khatib Position). For the khatib position, figure
10 shows the reverberation times as contour maps for 3
frequencies and in figure 11 presents the results obtained at
1kHz and as a function of worshipper’s rows. We found
that all receiver points have approximately the same RT’s
values at 1kHz and near to the optimum values.
5.08

4.78

4.47

4.18

3.88
4.43
3.58
4.13
3.28
3.83
2.98
3.53
2.67
3.22
P2 2.38
P2 P2
2.92
2.08
2.63
1.78
P1 P1 P1 2.33
1.48
2.02
1.18
1.72
0.88
1.42

1.13 <= <= 0.70

0.82

0.52

0.22
(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz
<=

Figure 10. RT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry at;

<= 0.05

(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz a: at 500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Khatib position).
Figure 7. EDT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry 2.7

when the mosque is assumed empty, a: at 500Hz, b: at

2.65
2.6

1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Imam position). 2.55

2.5
2.45
2.4 RT,R1
RT, s

2.35 RT,R2
2.3 RT,R3
2.45
2.25 RT,R4
2.2
2.15
2.4
2.1
2.05
2.35
2
EDT 1 1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
EDT s

2.3 Reciever Points by Row

EDT 2
2.25
EDT 3 Figure 11. RT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry at
2.2
EDT 4
1kHz as a function of worshippers rows (Khatib position).
2.15 Figures 12 and 13 demonstrate that the value of early
2.1
1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5
decay time obtained at khatib position ranges from 2.1s to
Reciever Points by Row 2.5s. This value is near to the optimum value. This is due to
Figure 8. EDT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry at the effect of marble walls at receiver points.
1kHz as a function of worshippers rows (Imam position).
Speech Transmission Index (STI) is directly related to 4
4.53

speech. To ensure good speech intelligibility, the envelope 4

4.22

3.92

of the signal should be preserved, allowing the various

3
3.63
3
3.32

frequency bands to contribute to speech quality. Speech 3

3
3.02

2.72

Transmission Index (STI) for the 1:2 rectangular mosque 2

2
2.42

geometry as a function of worshippers rows is presented in

2.12
2
1.82
P2 P2 P2

figure 9. For the first activity mode, STI is around 0.40, 1.52

1.22

which is considered poor. The best values have been found 0

0.92

0.62

at locations just around the source or imam and at the 1st

0
0.32
0

row. <=
<= 0
<= 0.15

(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz

Figure 12. EDT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry;
a: at 500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Khatib position).

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23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference

2.45
1.9

2.4 RT,R1

1.88 RT,R2

RT, s
2.35 RT,R3
RT,R4
EDT 1
EDT, s

2.3 1.86 RT,R5

EDT 2
RT,R6
2.25
EDT 3 RT,R7
EDT 4 1.84

2.2

1.82
2.15

2.1 1.8
1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 1 2 3 0 -1 -2 -3
Reciever Points by Row Reciever Points by Row

Figure 13. EDT for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry at

Figure 16. RT for the square mosque geometry at 1kHz as a
1kHz as a function of worshippers rows (Khatib position).
function of worshippers rows (Imam position).
Speech Transmission Index for the 1:2 rectangular
mosque geometry as a function of worshippers rows and at
the Khatib position is presented in figure 14. For the 2nd 4.88

4.48

activity mode, we found that STI is around 0.40, which is 4.08

3.68

considered poor. Increasing the distance from the source the

3.28

2.88
P1 P1
P1
2.48

decreasing the STI values. The best values have been found 2.08

1.68

at locations just around the source or khatib and at the 1st

1.28

0.88

<

row where we obtained the max. value, STI equal to 0.60.

<= 0.60

(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz

0.6 Figure 17. EDT for the square mosque geometry; a: at
0.55
500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Imam position).
0.5 3
STI,R1
STI

STI,R2
0.45
STI,R3 2.95
EDT 1
STI,R4 EDT 2
0.4
EDT,s

2.9 EDT 3
0.35
EDT 4
EDT 5
2.85
0.3 EDT 6
1 2 3 4 5 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 EDT 7
Reciever Points by Row 2.8

Figure 14. STI for the 1:2 rectangular mosque geometry as 2.75

a function of worshippers rows (Khatib position).

1 2 3 0 -1 -2 -3

Reciever Points by Row

Figure 18. EDT for the square mosque geometry at 1kHz as

3.2 Square form a function of worshippers rows (Imam position).
For the 1st scenario, as shown in figure 15 presents Speech Transmission Index for the square mosque
reverberation time obtained by 49 receiver points for the geometry as a function of worshippers rows and at the
square mosque form and at several frequencies. Imam position is presented in figure19. We found that STI
values range between 0.65 and 0.75, which is considered
4.57
good. The best values have been found at locations just
4.03

3.47
around the source or imam and at the 1st row.
2.92

2.38
P1 P1
P1 1.82

1.27 0.75

0.72

0.7
<= 0.30

0.65
STI,R1
(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz 0.6
STI,R2
STI,R3
STI

0.55

Figure 15. RT for the square mosque geometry; a: at 0.5

STI,R4
STI,R4
500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Imam position). 0.45 STI,R4
0.4
STI,R4

Taking into account the functions realized in mosques 0.35

and the optimum levels for mosques of these size (which 0.3
1 2 3 0 -1 -2 -3

are between 0,6 and 1,9 seconds, it can be said that all Reciever Points by Row

receiver points have the optimum RT’s value, especially at
low frequencies. Furthermore, at 1kHz, RT’s values range
from 1.82 to 1.90s. All receiver points located at two sides
of the mosque have longer RT’s than those located at the
centre, see figure 16, this is due to the source location.
Figures 17 and 18 demonstrate that the value of early
decay time obtained by this type and at the Imam position is
better than those obtained by the rectangle where the RT
average is approximately 2.95s.
Figure 19. STI for the square mosque geometry as a
function of worshippers rows (Imam position).
In the Second Step, we have been discussing the results
obtained by the khatib position. Figure 20 demonstrates the
reverberation times as contour maps at 500,1000, and
2000Hz. RT values as a function of worshipper’s rows at
1kHz are presented in figure 21. We found that the 3rd row
has the best value, where we can obtain RT equal to 1.90s.
Generally, RT values at 1kHz range from 1.70s to 2.40s.

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Proceedings of the Acoustics 2012 Nantes Conference 23-27 April 2012, Nantes, France

4
4.73 or khatib and at the 1st row where we obtained the max
value, 0.75, as shown in figure 24.
4.43
4
4.13
4

3 3.83

4 Conclusion
3 3.53

3 3.23

2 2.93
2
2.63
2
2.33
2
P1 P1 2.03

Sound fields of two simple mosque geometries were

1 P1
1.73
1
1.43
1

tested. Reverberation time, early decay time, speech

0 1.13

0 0.83

0.53
<= 0 <=

<= 0.35

transmission index were measured. The square mosque

(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz
showed the merits of uniform spatial distribution of RT,
Figure 20. RT for the square mosque geometry; a: at EDT, and STI over the front rows in the case of Imam
500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Khatib position). position. Furthermore, almost of rows have acceptable
2.4
levels of RT, EDT, and STI while the “Friday” speech or
2.3
Khatib position. The 1:2 rectangle mosque geometry
2.2
negatively impacted sound fields in the front rows at all
RT,R1

2.1
RT,R2 source positions. The investigation carried out in this study
is expected to help architects to understand better the effect
RT, s

RT,R3
2 RT,R4

1.9
RT,R5 of early architectural design decisions pertaining to the
1.8
RT,R6
RT,R7
space and form of the mosque on its acoustics.
1.7

1.6
1 2 3 0 -1 -2 -3
References
Reciever Points by Row

Figure 21. RT for the square mosque geometry at 1kHz as a

function of worshippers rows (Khatib position). [1] Z. G Karabiber, “Acoustical problems in mosques: A
case study on the three mosques in Istanbul”. Forum
As it is shown in figures 22 and 23, all points have Acusticum, Berlin, CDROM, 4 pgs. (1999).
approximately the same RT value, approximately 3.0s. At
1kHz, Rt values range from 2.8s to 3.2s. These values are [2] Z.K Yuksel, C. Binan, R. Unver, “A research project in
acceptable for the mosque volume. the intersection of architectural conservation and
virtual reality: CAHRISMA”. In 19th International
4.73
Symposium CIPA. Antalya, Turkey: Technical
University of Istanbul. (2003).
4
4.43
4
4.13
4

3 3.83

3 3.53

[3] P. Fausti, R. Pompoli, N. Prodi, “Comparing the

3 3.23

2
2.93
2
2.63

acoustics of mosques and Byzantine churches”. 19th

2
2.33
2
P1 P1 2.03
1 P1
1.73

International Symposium CIPA. Antalya, Turkey:

1

1
1.43

0 1.13

0 0.83

<= 0 <=
0.53

<= 0.35
Technical University of Istanbul. (2003).
(a) 500 Hz (b) 1000Hz (c) 2000Hz
[4] Z. Karabiber, S. Erdogan, “Comparison of the
Figure 22. EDT for the square mosque geometry; a: at acoustical properties of an ancient and a recent
500Hz, b: at 1kHz, and c: at 2kHz (Khatib position). mosque”. Forum Acusticum, Spanish Acoustical
Society (SEA), Seville, Spain (2002).
[5] M. A. Kayili, “Da geleneksel akustik sistemler ve
3.2

3.1
EDT 1 Mimar Sinan uygulamalar”, (Anatolian traditional
EDT 2 acoustic works and works done by Sinan the
EDT, s

Architect). 6th National Acoustical Congress

3 EDT 3
EDT 4

2.9
EDT 5
EDT 6
TAKDER, 26-28 October (233-238). Antalya, Turkey
2.8
EDT 7 (2002).

2.7
[6] I.L Topaktas, “Acoustical properties of classical
1 2 3 0 -1

Reciever Points by Row

-2 -3
Ottoman mosques: Simulation and measurements”.
Figure 23. EDT for the square mosque geometry at 1kHz as PhD thesis, Department of Architecture, Middle East
a function of worshippers rows (Khatib position). Technical University, Ankara. (2003).
0.75 [7] M. Kayili, “Acoustic Solutions in Classic Ottoman
0.7
Architecture”, Foundation for Science Technology and
0.65
STI,R1 Civilization; Manchester, England September 2007.
0.6
STI,R2
STI,R3 [8] A.A. Abdou, “Measurement of acoustical
STI

0.55

characteristics of mosques in Saudi Arabia” The

STI,R4
0.5
STI,R4
0.45 STI,R4 Journal of Acoustical Society of America, 113(3),
STI,R4
0.4
1505-1517. (2003).
0.35

0.3
1 2 3 0 -1 -2 -3
[9] D. Templeton, “Acoustics in the Built Environment:
Reciever Points by Row
Advice for the Design Team”. Oxford:
Figure 24. STI for the square mosque geometry as a Butterworth(1993).
function of worshippers rows (Khatib position).
For this scenario at katib position, we found that STI
values are around 0.65, which is considered good. The best
values have been found at locations just around the source

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