ABSTRACT
In Islam, the term ‘prayer’ means a special type of performance in which a set of body positions is accompanied by specific words or clues in a determined direction. According to the Islamic faith, it is strongly recommended for the Muslim male to offer his prayer in the masjid (mosque) within a group. Group prayer is executed same as individuals, except that the worshippers have to line up in rows (1.20–1.33 m apart) attached closely to each other behind the Imam (leading the group prayer) and follow him exactly. As the Imam is the only permitted sound source (i.e. the only performer) inside the masjid during group prayer, his acoustic comfort during performance is a vital factor especially in the long, aloud prayers. To investigate the acoustical characteristics of the most preferable prayer space from Imams’ point of view, an experiment was especially designed and oriented to them. This chapter describes this experiment, presents the methodology that has been applied, and discusses its results concerning reverberation.
