Surround Sound

The spoken word has always been the carrier of Islam. Great Muslim leaders were those who spread the religion through the art of language, so eloquently displayed in the Holy Quran. The architecture of the ancient Muslim mosques portrays the importance of the intelligibility of speech. The 16th century Babri Mosque, a product of the Mogul Empire, was described by Graham Pickford as “considerably advanced“ with the “unique deployment of sound in the structure“ able to astonish any visitors. A whisper from the Babri Mosque mihrab can be heard clearly at the other end 200 feet away. Modern architects have attributed this acoustic feature to the large recess in the wall of the mihrab and other recesses in the surrounding walls. Acoustical breakthroughs can also be seen in the mosques of Turkish – Ottoman Empire.

The architects who made the mosques during this period preferred domed ceilings to flat ceilings. Although this would seem problematic for focusing sound, the acoustics are surprisingly good. Similar to the Babri Mosque in India, a whisper on one side domed–building is easily heard because the sound is focused towards the centre of the spherical shape. This is due to the different dimensioned jugs that are buried in the domes to absorb frequencies proportional to the width of the neck, there by acting as Helmholtz resonators. The acoustical advancement of ancient architecture is no longer seen in modern mosques. Most of the sound absorption is poor because it is provided by the carpeted floors.

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