The paper describes the particular and unknown constructive technique employed for Shali, an ancient fortress dating back to the XII century sited on a hill of the oasis of Siwa in the western Egyptian desert. The masonries are realised with salt blocks, taken from the nearby salty lakes connected by an abundant mud mortar very rich in salt. The drying process of the mixture (particularly of the mud with the role of mortar) obtains an immediate joint with the salt “stone” pieces because of the crystallization process. The result is a sort of conglomerate. Such a technique is the result of the capability and skill of man to take advantage of the local environmental resources and at the same time makes it possible to realise particularly comfortable buildings in the severe climatic condition of the oasis. In order to understand the building technology, the behaviour and the decay phenomena observed in the masonries, building materials from old masonries and ancient quarries have been characterised from the compositional and mechanical point of view. The first results of this research are offered in the paper.

The earth salt architecture of middle age in the Siwa oasis, Egypt / F.Fratini; S. Resic; L. Rovero; U. Tonietti. - STAMPA. - (2009), pp. 481-493. (Intervento presentato al convegno Mediterra 2009 tenutosi a Cagliari nel 13-16 marzo 2009).

The earth salt architecture of middle age in the Siwa oasis, Egypt

ROVERO, LUISA;TONIETTI, UGO
2009

Abstract

The paper describes the particular and unknown constructive technique employed for Shali, an ancient fortress dating back to the XII century sited on a hill of the oasis of Siwa in the western Egyptian desert. The masonries are realised with salt blocks, taken from the nearby salty lakes connected by an abundant mud mortar very rich in salt. The drying process of the mixture (particularly of the mud with the role of mortar) obtains an immediate joint with the salt “stone” pieces because of the crystallization process. The result is a sort of conglomerate. Such a technique is the result of the capability and skill of man to take advantage of the local environmental resources and at the same time makes it possible to realise particularly comfortable buildings in the severe climatic condition of the oasis. In order to understand the building technology, the behaviour and the decay phenomena observed in the masonries, building materials from old masonries and ancient quarries have been characterised from the compositional and mechanical point of view. The first results of this research are offered in the paper.
2009
1° Conferenza mediterranea sull'architettura in terra cruda
Mediterra 2009
Cagliari
13-16 marzo 2009
F.Fratini; S. Resic; L. Rovero; U. Tonietti
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/359815
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