Assessing the Acoustic Comfort Conditions of a Historical Mosque: Pergamon Great Mosque

The acoustics of historical mosques are essential cultural heritages that should be protected as carefully as their architectural features. The Pergamon Great Mosque is one of the few large-volume historical worship buildings nearby. Some researchers, especially historians, have studied this mosque. Since the acoustic comfort conditions of the mosque have not yet been studied, the analysis of objective acoustic parameters in the mosque according to ISO 3382 led to the study. The article aims to document its acoustics as an intangible cultural heritage and to analyze the current acoustic conditions of the mosque through background noise levels, T30, D50, C80, STI, and SPLA parameters. When the measurement results are compared with optimum values, it is revealed that the mosque is suitable for music functions. Moreover, the parameter values related to speech are also close to the optimum values. The reason for this situation can be explained by the fact that the renovations have not changed the original physical environment of the mosque. The SPL-A measured at the receiver points are close to each other (except for the women's worship area), and it is thought that the curvilinear forms used on the upper cover and the niches on the walls have a positive effect on the homogeneous distribution.