Study of Deterioration of Court Floor of Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo

Abstract

The college- mosque of Sultan Hassan is considered one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture not only in Egypt but also in the East. Its open court is paved with different types of marble. These marble slabs suffer from severe deterioration. Causes of this deterioration were determined accurately through the ocular examination of the court and confirmed by the laboratory tests which were carried out on samples representing the three common types of marble used in the floor namely the white, the red and the black marble. Sun light and heat are the main deterioration factors and the consequent thermal expansion is the main property which led to the detected deterioration phenomena. Conference Topic: Fine restoration of Islamic arts.