_The acoustical performance of mosques main prayer hall geometry in the eastern province, Saudi Arabia

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. Simulation and extensive field measurements had been taken in varies representative mosques of different sizes 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), the early decay time (EDT), The D50 parameter (D-50) and clarity (C-50), were measured and calculated. The speech transmission index (STI) had been evaluated without the operation of existing sound reinforcement systems. The results will show the acoustical quality in the investigated mosques, unoccupied case.