Applied Acoustics 30 (1990) 335-345

Technical Note

Rasti Measurements in Mosques in Amman, Jordan

A BSTRA CT

Field measurements in 30 mosques in Amman, Jordan are reported; the field

measurements include RAST1, reverberation time, background noise lerel
E D T and signal to noise ratio. R A S T I values range between 0.39 and 0.59
where the articulation index ranges between poor and fair. There is not a sbzgle
mosque in which the articulation index is good or excellent; despite the fact
that these mosques are costly and their spiritual and functional aspects hat'e
received special attention, the reverberation time is, in general high and, in
one mosque it was around 27s at low frequency. In the Jordan University
Mosque the reverberation time varies between 10 and 4 s. The poor acoustical
performance of these mosques is mainly the result of little treatment inside
and high background noise due to poor insulation of the building envelope
against external noise.

1 INTRODUCTION

Mosques, which are public buildings, are used for praying, speech, lecturing
and similar activities. They have a special spiritual place in the Arabic and
Islamic countries. Their functions have almost remained unchanged for the
past 14 centuries and some of these early mosques are still functioning to-
day. Alazhar mosque, in Cairo, Egypt is an example which was built as a
m o s q u e and university more than one thousand years ago, and is still in use.
Activities in the m o s q u e start early in the morning, approximately 1 h before
sunrise, and continue until midnight; in fact some mosques are in use 24 h a
335
Applied Acoustics 0003-682X/90/$03.50 © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England.
Printed in Great Britain
336 R. N. S. Hammad

day throughout the year. The mosque reflects not only architectural and
structural theories but also represents the civilization which has existed
during the course of history
This paper reports and discusses results of field measurements conducted
in different mosques in the city of Amman, Jordan. It also evaluates the
acoustical performance in those very important places using different sets of
standards and techniques. Comparison of these results with similar specifica-
tions are also given. Finally the paper offers different recommendations for
improving the acoustical treatment of these places and means of remedying
the existing problems.

2 DESCRIPTION

The mosque, in general, is a hall, rectangular or square in plan, with a dome

located in the middle of the plan as shown in Fig. 1; the dome in some cases

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 RASTI measurements in mosques in Amman, Jordan 337

covers a large area of the hall and in a few more recent mosques the dome is
eliminated. The height of the mosque ranges between 5 and 10 m and in some
cases may reach more than 30m. It is usually located in the middle of
residential areas with nearby noisy roads. Large windows and doors may be
located on all walls, and they are open, in some cases, toward streets and
courts. The floor is unfurnished, but carpeted. The internal surfaces are
painted on cement plastering with little gypsum and wood decorations.
Little attention is given to the acoustical characteristics of the materials used
inside the mosques. This results in a long reverberation time and noticeable
echo and other acoustical problems affecting their acoustical performance.
There are more than 1500 mosques in Jordan, more than 40% of them
located in Amman, and most of them built within the last 50 years.

3 F O R M U L A T I O N OF THE PROBLEM

In this paper, different standards are used to evaluate the acoustical

performance of these mosques. The acoustical parameters are well known
and they are briefly outlined.
(i) Reverberation time (RT6o). Its value is given by different formulae I -a
which were developed from Sabin's formula.
(ii) Articulation index. This index depends on the speech intelligibility
inside a space and its value depends on the space volume, area, RT6o and the
background noise. 4
(iii) Speech Transmission index (ST1) and Rapid speech transmission index
(RASTI). RASTI is developed from STI, which takes into account the
reverberation time, the background noise and the signal level. 6 This index
can be calculated from the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) which is
given by

M(F) = { I + [JrcF(T/13.8)] t/2 [1 + 101-s/m/lo]} - 1 (1)

where
T is the reverberation time in seconds,
F is the modulation frequency (between 0-4 Hz and 20 Hz), and
SIN is the signal to noise ratio which is taken between + 15 and - 15 dB.

(S/N),pp = 1/182 ° o.a(g/N)app.F (2)

where

(S/N)app.F = 10 log Ira(f)/(1 -- re(f))] (3)

338 R.N.S. Hammad

TABLE I

RASTI ranges Quality of acoustical encironment

0-0.3 Bad
0-3-0.45 Poor
0-45-0.6 Fair
0-6-0"75 Good
0-75-1'0 Excellent

STI is calculated from the following equation,

STI = [(S/N),nn + 15]/30 (4)

RASTI is determined by calculating the Modulation Reduction Index
(MRI) for 500Hz and 2kHz. Table 1 shows the ranges given to RASTI to
describe the subjective acoustical environment inside any enclosure and they
are compared successfully with the Articulation Index and other subjective
indices. 6 A RASTI instrument v is used to measure directly the value of
RASTI in any location inside any space.

4 FIELD MEASUREMENTS

A Speech Transmitter, B & K type 4225, is used to simulate the human voice
at 500 Hz and 2 kHz; and a Speech Receiver, B & K type 4419, is used to pick
up the signal and calculate RASTI in any required location. It also measures
the early decay time, EDT, Speech Transmission Index, STI, L,q and the
background noise.
Some 30 mosques were chosen from A m m a n representing different styles
and forms and special architectural characteristics. RASTI values were
measured in several places inside the mosque, at least in six different
positions, while they were unoccupied. Other acoustical terms were also
measured such as early decay time, Speech Transmission Index and S/N, at
500 Hz and 2 kHz. The reverberation time RT6o using a Building Acoustic
Analyzer, B & K type 4418, and a sound source, B & K type 4224 were also
measured. The signal was received by a ½ in microphone B & K type 4265
and a rotating microphone boom, B & K type 3923, to average the signal.

5 RESULTS A N D DISCUSSION

The relation between mean, minimum and maximum values of RASTI for
the different mosques in A m m a n is shown in Fig. 2. The mean values range
 R A S T I measurements in mosques in Amman, Jordan 339

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340 R. N. S. Hammad

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Fig. 3. The relation between RASTI, S/N and EDT. (O, measured RASTI in mosques.)

between 0-39 and 0.59; where the articulation ranged between poor and fair.
There is not a single mosque (except King Abdullah Mosque) at which the
mean RASTI value is equal to or greater than 0-6, i.e. the articulation is good
or excellent. This is evidence that the acoustical performance was not
considered in the design or even at a later stage. This is despite the fact that
these buildings were built within the last 50 years and the cost of one
mosque may be several hundreds o f thousands of dollars. In fact the cost o f a
single minaret is, in some cases, more than $150000 and most of these
mosques have at least one. The values of RASTI plotted versus S/N, and
early decay time (EDT) are shown in Fig. 3. The values of SIN lie between
- 6 and 10 while EDT values are in general greater than 0"5 s. This clearly
indicates that RASTI values are mainly dependent on EDT, which is the
result of the absorption and volume. It is possible to improve the acoustical
performance of an enclosure by decreasing EDT, i.e. acoustic treatment, but
improving it by increasing SIN only is too difficult. When EDT is greater
than or equal to 0-5, RASTI is less than or equal to 0"7, i.e. the articulation
index is good but never excellent. It is clear that the reason for the poor
 R A S T I measurements in mosques in Amman, Jordan 341

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63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000

Frequency Hz

Fig. 4. The reverberation times recommended for churches ( ), and lecture rooms
(. . . . ), and the measured reverberation time in mosques ( O )

performance of these spaces can be attributed to both SIN (high background

noise) and EDT (lack of absorption treatments and volume); but is mainly
the result of the latter..
The reverberation time versus frequency in some mosques is given in
Fig. 4. In general, RT6o measured is greater than 3 s at frequencies less than
1 kHz. Its measured value in some mosques is greater than 10 s; compared
with the recommended RT for lecture rooms, approximately 1 s, it is clear
that the RT is very high and again the poor performances of such mosques
are mainly the result of the reverberant field. The reverberation time of King
Abdullah mosque, which was recently built, and before any treatment is
342 R. N. S. Hamrnad

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Fig. 5. The reverberation time in King Abdullah mosque bel~re any treatment, as a
function of ~equenc~.

shown in Fig. 5; it varies between 27 s at 100 Hz and 4 s at 8 kHz. These

values are very high and it is almost impossible to achieve an',' intelligible
conversation inside the mosque even within a few meters spacing. However
this mosque attracted much attention in the later stages and the
reverberation time was reduced to approximately 2 s and the RASTI value
increased to approximately 0-8. Measurements of the articulation index
shows that values are between very good and excellent. A 40% perforated
plywood dome was added to the concrete one with 50 mm mineral wool and
100 mm air gap between the plywood and the concrete. This has the effect of
reducing the reflection of sound waves from the dome and the focusing and
redirection of outside noise inside the mosque. The internal walls, up to 3 m
height, which consist of marble, 1-40 m, and decorative w o o d (mashrabia)
were designed with a perforation with 50 mm mineral wool treatment and
100 mm air gap behind the mashrabia. The carpet is heavy with 10 mm felt
beneath (measured absorption coefficient 0.5 at mid-frequencies). A more
detailed description of measurements and construction of this mosque are
given elsewhere. 8 Acoustical treatment of this mosque cost the owner some
 R A S T I measurements in mosques in Amman, Jordan 343

12

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125 250 500 I000 2000 4000 8000

Frequency Hz

Fig. 6. The reverberation time in Jordan University mosque as a function of frequency.

$0-5 million; which is equivalent to the cost of the shell construction. The
reverberation time of the University mosque (unoccupied) is shown in Fig. 6,
it varies between 10 and 2 s in the frequency range 100 Hz to 4 kHz. The
worshippers always experience dissatisfaction with the articulation of the
speaker inside the mosque. The University paid great attention to solving
the problem by increasing the S I N ratio; but the articulation of the speech is
still poor due to the fact that the location of the mosque is near a busy street
with more than 3000 vehicles (on the average) during the day (6-24 h) at
speeds of more than 60 km/h. 9 Its envelope skin has many windows and
doors, some of them opened toward the busy street.
The background noise level inside the mosques were also measured and its
value is in general, high, varying between 50 and 70 dBA. This is due to the
fact that they are located in the vicinity of busy roads in the city and the poor
insulation of the building envelope due to the large number of windows and
doors which are kept open for ventilation during services. In some cases the
background noise level inside the mosque is higher than outside. This is due
to windows located in the neck of the dome which collects the outside noise
from 360 ° and redirects it inside the mosque.
344 R. N. S. Hammad

6 CONCLUSION

These field measurements indicate clearly that little attention has been given
to the acoustic design of mosques in A m m a n , and their acoustic
performance is in general poor; despite the fact that these public buildings
have been built recently at great expense and have special visual and
spiritual importance in Arabic and Islamic cities. Two goals should be
recognized by architects to overcome such poor performance: the outside
noise should be isolated and the a m o u n t of absorption inside the hall should
be increased. The first goal can be achieved by opening doors and windows
towards courtyards, similar to those in old mosques, such as Alazhar
mosque in Cairo or/and by increasing the insulation of the building envelope
(small windows with double glazing). Other difficulties can be overcome by
employing consultants specializing in architectural and building acoustics.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author wishes to recognize the Deanship of Scientific Research in the

university of Jordan for their support and encouragement.

REFERENCES

1. Sabin, P. E., Acoustics and Architecture. McGraw-Hill, New York, London,

1932, pp. 60-70.
2. Eyring, C. F., Reverberation time in dead rooms. J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 1 (1929)
217-41.
3. Fitzroy, D., Reverberation formula which seems to be more accurate with non-
uniform distribution of absorption, J. Acoust. Soc. Amer., 31 (1959) 893-7.
4. Kryter, K. D., Methods for calculation and use of articulation index, J. Acoust.
Soc. Amer., 34 (1962) 1689-97.
5. Houtgast, J., Steeneken, H. J. M. & Plomp, R., Predicing speech intelligibility in
rooms from the modulation transfer function: general room acoustics. Acustica,
46 (1980) 60-72.
6. Houtgast, J. & Steeneken, H. J. M., A multi-language evaluation of the RASTI
method for estimating speed intelligibility in auditoria. Acustica, 54 (1984)
186-94.
7. Bruel and Kjaer, Instruction Manual: Speech Transmission Meter Type 3361.
B&K, Denmark, 1986.
8. Hammad, R. N. S. & Abdelazeez, M. K., .The acoustical design of King
Abdullah Mosque, Amman, Jordan: suggestions and results (in Arabic).
Dirasat (Jordan University Journal) 16(5) (1989) 24-39.
 RASTI measurements in mosques in Amman, Jordan 345

9. Hammad, R. N. S. & Abdelazeez, M. K., Measurements and analysis of traffic

noise in Amman, Jordan and its effect. Appl. Acoust., 21 (1987) 309-20.
10. Cremer, L. & Muller, H. A., Principles and Applications of Room Acoustics.
Applied Science Publishers, London, 1982.

R. N. S. Hammad
Architectural Department,
Faculty of Engineering and Technology,
University of Jordan,
Amman, Jordan

(Received 19 September 1989; revised version received 10 January 1990; accepted

25 January 1990)