Abstract
Objective measurements have been performed repeatedly in many masjids (mosques) across the Islamic world. Results of these measurements were systematically compared to the acoustic design criteria of speech rooms to conclude that the examined masjids suffer long reverberation time, which reflects difficulties in the intelligibility of speech. To check these conclusions, the optimal reverberation curve for masjids was presented and discussed. Then, objective measurements were carried out in more than 25 masjids, of different areas and volumes, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The architectural and acoustical data of these masjids were classified and categorised. The measured acoustic indicators were compared to their optimal values. This paper presents the findings of this work and discusses if our masjids really suffer from long reverberation or on the contrary, undergo excessive absorption!