Analytical Diagnosis of a Rare Egyptian Marble Minbar: Mineralogical Composition and Salt Weathering

Analytical Diagnosis of a Rare Egyptian Marble Minbar: Mineralogical Composition and Salt Weathering | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Analytical Diagnosis of a Rare Egyptian Marble Minbar: Mineralogical Composition and Salt Weathering Dareen Ghonaim, Hemdan Elmitwalli, Khaled Sayed‑Ahmed, Mohamed Abdelbar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8201986/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study presents a historical, archaeological, and scientific investigation of a rare marble minbar dated to 1905 CE (1323 AH) in Al-Omari Mosque, Demira Village, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The minbar was examined using portable digital microscopy, polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The analysis confirms that the stone is predominantly calcite and that its deterioration is driven mainly by salt weathering. Two types of salts, halite and gypsum, were identified, resulting in phenomena such as peeling, pitting, whitish stains, surface erosion, and material loss. Microscopic and SEM observations reveal salt crystallization, surface roughening, microcracks, and structural weakening of the marble. The decay is attributed primarily to past cleaning practices by the local community, who repeatedly washed the minbar with tap water before the mosque was formally registered as an archaeological monument, and secondarily to groundwater-induced rising damp within the minbar and other stone elements in the mosque. These moisture sources favored the crystallization of salts, compounded by diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuation which govern the rate of evaporation of saline solutions and their subsequent recrystallization, in addition to the expansion and contraction processes of the minerals present in the marble of the minbar. The findings underscore the critical role of salts in the deterioration of early twentieth-century marble heritage in Egypt and provide a scientific basis for future conservation strategies. Physical sciences/Materials science Earth and environmental sciences/Solid earth sciences Marble minbar Salt weathering Halite crystallization Investigation Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8201986","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":562896176,"identity":"d292471e-4071-4e27-add6-af8abd980b41","order_by":0,"name":"Dareen Ghonaim","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Damietta University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dareen","middleName":"","lastName":"Ghonaim","suffix":""},{"id":562896178,"identity":"bcec5454-9fe7-4e95-8d02-233e04d2e6a8","order_by":1,"name":"Hemdan Elmitwalli","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Damietta 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The minbar was examined using portable digital microscopy, polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The analysis confirms that the stone is predominantly calcite and that its deterioration is driven mainly by salt weathering. Two types of salts, halite and gypsum, were identified, resulting in phenomena such as peeling, pitting, whitish stains, surface erosion, and material loss. Microscopic and SEM observations reveal salt crystallization, surface roughening, microcracks, and structural weakening of the marble. The decay is attributed primarily to past cleaning practices by the local community, who repeatedly washed the minbar with tap water before the mosque was formally registered as an archaeological monument, and secondarily to groundwater-induced rising damp within the minbar and other stone elements in the mosque. These moisture sources favored the crystallization of salts, compounded by diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuation which govern the rate of evaporation of saline solutions and their subsequent recrystallization, in addition to the expansion and contraction processes of the minerals present in the marble of the minbar. 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