ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION OF MATERIALS USED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ISLAMIC MOSAICS IN AL SULTAN EL MANSOUR KALAOUN SCHOOL, CAIRO, EGYPT

Abstract

Egyptian Islamic Buildings are suffering from a lot of detorioration types, mainly groundwater and salt weathering which have caused the complete loss of the decorations of some of these mihrabs. Many mihrabs in egyptain islamic buildings need restoration and conservation, as islamic buildings are one of the most famouse hestorical places in egypt and over the world finding solution for this problem become very urgent. A physiochemical study using analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy was done. This characterization study, on one hand helping us to reach for the optimum conservation and completion methods; on the other hand, the deterioration factors of mosaic were determined. All analytical methods indicated that the Al- Mansour kalaoun mosaic mihrab contains lime, Gypsum, Dolomite, Quartz, Calcite and Aragonite. It also proves that sodium chloride (halite) is the principal salt causing deterioration.