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Talks and Poster Presentations (with Proceedings-Entry):

G. Styhler-Aydin, M. Döring-Williams:
"The Fortification Walls of Hisn al-Bab on the Southern Border of Egypt: An Analysis of Structures and Building Techniques";
Talk: CHS - Fourth Conference of the Construction History Society, Cambridge, Queens`College; 04-07-2017 - 04-09-2017; in: "Building Histories. The Proceedings of the Fourth Conference of the Construction History Society", J. Campbell et al. (ed.); The Construction History Society, (2017), ISBN: 978-09928751-3-8; 43 - 54.



English abstract:
The Hisn al-Bab site is located on the east riverbank of the Nile in southern Egypt close to the 1st Cataract in the border region between Egypt and Nubia. According to latest archaeological research, the spacious historic fort in the desert area, showing several phases of construction, dates back to the late Antique/early medieval period. Ongoing archaeological research of the building complex found much evidence, such as pottery and glass material showing an extensive use of the site in the sixth and seventh centuries. The remaining structures of the early medieval fort, estimated to have been constructed between the eighth and ninth centuries, as well as traces of older fortified building structures in the area, bear witness to a long period of use.
This paper focuses on the structure of the early medieval fortification built of locally-available material such as rubble, mud bricks and mud mortar in the Nubian architectural tradition, and the reflection of the characteristics of the materials in the applied wall construction. The research will broaden the ongoing discourse on fortification structures of the medieval period in the area by presenting the structures of Hisn al-Bab - including their architectural features - in detail for the first time. Architectural documentation of the preserved constructions using data from terrestrial 3D laser scanning and terrestrial photogrammetry led to a comprehensive on-site analysis of the fortification walls and their special elements such as gates and towers. The structural details revealed, as for instance the inner wall structure, form and design of "corners" or the structural connection made of mud-bricks between the bottom rubble stone wall parts and the upper wall parts, allow us to view the restrictions imposed by the construction material. Simultaneously the analysis aims to shed light on some of the requirements of historic construction site(s) and the historic construction process.

German abstract:
The Hisn al-Bab site is located on the east riverbank of the Nile in southern Egypt close to the 1st Cataract in the border region between Egypt and Nubia. According to latest archaeological research, the spacious historic fort in the desert area, showing several phases of construction, dates back to the late Antique/early medieval period. Ongoing archaeological research of the building complex found much evidence, such as pottery and glass material showing an extensive use of the site in the sixth and seventh centuries. The remaining structures of the early medieval fort, estimated to have been constructed between the eighth and ninth centuries, as well as traces of older fortified building structures in the area, bear witness to a long period of use.
This paper focuses on the structure of the early medieval fortification built of locally-available material such as rubble, mud bricks and mud mortar in the Nubian architectural tradition, and the reflection of the characteristics of the materials in the applied wall construction. The research will broaden the ongoing discourse on fortification structures of the medieval period in the area by presenting the structures of Hisn al-Bab - including their architectural features - in detail for the first time. Architectural documentation of the preserved constructions using data from terrestrial 3D laser scanning and terrestrial photogrammetry led to a comprehensive on-site analysis of the fortification walls and their special elements such as gates and towers. The structural details revealed, as for instance the inner wall structure, form and design of "corners" or the structural connection made of mud-bricks between the bottom rubble stone wall parts and the upper wall parts, allow us to view the restrictions imposed by the construction material. Simultaneously the analysis aims to shed light on some of the requirements of historic construction site(s) and the historic construction process.

Keywords:
Historic Fortress Structures, Hisn al-Bab, Egypt

Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.