TITLE:
Examination and Conservation of Helal El-Beah Mosque, Dakahlia, Egypt
AUTHORS:
Nabil A. Bader, Ragab Abu El- Hassan
KEYWORDS:
Islamic Decoration, Brick, Sandstone, Conservation, Helal El-Beah Mosque, Salts Reduction, Completion, Re-Cladding
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research,
Vol.4 No.2,
May
4,
2016
ABSTRACT: Helal El-Beah mosque in Egypt was built from many different materials as sandstone, bricks and
marble. These building materials were in a bad condition due to many degradation factors, mainly
ground water and salt weathering, so many deterioration phenomena were appeared as horizontal
and vertical cracks, salts, loss of the Islamic decorations in the fa?ade and mihrab (Prayer
niche), detachment of the plaster, biological colonization and featured dark of the stone surface.
Prior to the conservation intervention, the building materials were characterized to identify their
components. Scientific conservation treatment was carried out for the long-term conservation of
the mosque. Conservation operations at the mosque included: repairing and roof insulation, wet
and dry cleaning, joining of cracked parts and surface consolidating, replacement of the Portland
cement plaster with lime plaster, re-cladding the lower part of the interior brick walls with sandstone
tiles, replacement and completion of the stone blocks.