Centuries before electric public address systems, historic mosques achieved remarkable speech intelligibility for thousands of congregants through geometry and physical acoustic dampening:
The Mihrab as an Acoustic Megaphone: The semi-circular prayer niche gathered the Imam's vocal energy and reflected sound waves forward toward the congregation.
Muqarnas as 3D Sound Diffusers: Intricate corbelled niches along squinches dispersed acoustic reflections across multiple vectors, preventing flutter echoes.
Cavity Resonators (Helmholtz Effect): Hollow ceramic pots embedded inside dome masonry absorbed low-frequency hums, locking reverberation times (RT60) into an ideal 1.5 to 2.5 second range for clear speech.
Wool Carpet Absorption: Heavy wool carpeting absorbed high frequencies, preventing floor slap echoes.
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