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ABSTRACT
Rock-cut structures of Cappadocia, which are enlisted as natural and cultural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, have particular acoustics due to the specific tuff stone belonging to the region. This study, for the first time, discusses the indoor sound fields of the Cappadocia over five selected spots (one church and four residential halls) from Middle Byzantine sites of Hallaç, Açıksaray and Avanos with an aim of providing evidence regarding the spatial features and culture of the people inhabited these spaces. Acoustical data is collected during in-situ field tests. Acoustic parameters (EDT, T20, T30, C80, CD50, and STI) are obtained for the spaces under study. The rock-cut church is found to be the most reverberant among all the spaces and the most suitable for liturgical practices. The other four spaces are observed as comparatively more favorable for speech-related activities. The study also compares the sound absorption performance of Cappadocian tuff stone to those present in other natural caves and rock-cut structures investigated throughout the world in few prominent studies.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to show their gratitude to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism to grant the permission to perform the field tests in the rock-cut structures of Cappadocia. Special thanks to Mezzo Studyo for providing all the necessary equipment needed for the field tests.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).