Meleke

Meleke ( Melekeh, Malaki, Hebrew אבן ירושלמית ( [ 'even jəruʃal'mɪt ], Jerusalem stone / Jerusalem stone) is a white limestone ( Biosparit ) and shaped the architecture of the ancient and modern Jerusalem. He has been since the time of King Herod used extensively as a building material, the most comprehensive processing took place in the Herodian Temple The name comes from the Arabic- Hebrew word for regal..

History

Antiquity

Meleke has been a pre-Christian times used building and decorative stone. Its light in the fresh state workability and the slow hardening in the air make it particularly attractive as a building material. It determines for centuries the architectural image of the Old City of Jerusalem. Early buildings with this limestone are occupied from the 10th century BC archaeological.

The Herodian Temple (21 BC caused by remodeling of existing buildings ) and other buildings of this era represent an early highlight of the artisanal stone quarrying and processing for Architectural purposes in Palestine. Given the large amounts of stone built powerful methods of transport heavy stone blocks must have passed.

Another remarkable application of the soft limestone from the Cretaceous strata in and around Jerusalem is occupied by numerous excavated stone vessels. These are items for everyday needs ( cups, bowls, dishes, plates, boxes, vases, ink containers, etc.) and for holy acts of purification ( mikvaot ) in the household. The most important production site of stone vessels is the quarry cave of Hizme, a former Arab village about six kilometers north of the Temple Mount. The corresponding excavations are carried out in 1982 to 1983 by Y. stomach. In the three cave chambers were found characteristic processing wastes from turning and carving of limestone, relevant metal tools and many small semi- finished objects this kind Larger objects with blanks up to 500 kilograms weighed ( ossuaries and columns) are on the interpretation of previous excavations in Jerusalem workshops by hydropower have been processed. A secure evidence for the production of stone vessels on a lathe in this region result in finds from Jerusalem's City of David for the 1st century AD

Latter-day practical application

According to existing municipal regulations, the facades of the houses are always build with Meleke or other limestones from the region. This urban design specification goes back to the British Mandate period, when Sir Ronald Storrs was governor of Jerusalem. This had been working as part of a master plan for urban development, by Sir William McLean, can make appropriate determinations in 1918. The good weather resistance of the stone has made him known for applications far beyond the city limits of Jerusalem beyond.

Occurrence

The historic mining sites of Meleke limestone are located in the north of Jerusalem's Old City, especially near the Damascus Gate. They are used as Solomon's Quarries ( Zedekiah 's Cave, Jeremiah's grotto or Solomon's Quarries ) refers. It is an approximately 230 m long cave, which extends below the old town. In it the traces of former quarrymen work can be seen. According to lore King Zedekiah allegedly escaped through this cave before the Babylonians.

Formation, properties, mineralogy

The Meleke limestone originated in the Upper Cretaceous, Turonian concrete in front of about 90 million years ago. Therefore, this limestone is comparatively young. Meleke and other limestones recovered in the Jerusalem area are classified by Israeli geologists for regionally -specific aspects in the chronostratigraphic units Judea Group ( Turonian to Apt ) and Mount Scopus Group ( Senonian ). The most important limestone deposits are mainly part of the regional Bi'na lineup (also Baana Formation), a sub- area of ​​the Judea Group. An equivalent limestone of the NetServer lineup there in the Negev.

The Meleke limestone ( Royal Variety ) is an off-white, dense limestone with crystalline fractions in a fairly dense deposit. It is traversed by parallel stylolites. At fossils are found mainly calcified molluscs and long fusiform Foraminiferenreste. The rock is inhomogeneous, although the characteristics of a Riffkalksteins are dominant.

The species described below have different amounts of dolomite. Reddish tones are caused by iron minerals.

Immediately after the reduction is Meleke an easily machined stone which cures gradually. It can be easy to polish. Due to inclement weather, get the surfaces with the time a yellowish color.

Examples of using Meleke

Jerusalem:

• Herodian Temple ( no longer available), Wailing Wall
• Damascus
• Buildings in the Old City of Jerusalem
• Russian cathedral (Holy Trinity Cathedral )
• Migrash ha Russim ( Russian court, the Russian Compound )
• Edison Theatre
• Jewish Centre Munich ( interior work )

Varieties and competing rocks

As today's trade name Jerusalem stone is common and combines a group in Israel won and similar to each other natural stones together. These include the types of stone from the Jerusalem area:

• Mizzi Hilu (Sweet rock)
• Meleke ( Royal)
• Mizzi Ahmar ( Red Rock )
• Mizzi Yahudi (Jewish rock).

All of these building stones are according to stratigraphic aspects of the Judea Group at (chalk ) and have a varying mineral composition. In most cases, they have a yellow to beige color, in individual cases, tending towards red ( Mizzi Ahmar / Kefar Veradim formation / Cenomanian ) or the Gray Gradient ( Mizzi Yahudi / Kefar Veradim formation / Cenomanian ).

Another type of stone to be named here ( calcitic - dolomitic marl ) is Deir Yasini, as for stratigraphic Judea Group ( Kefar Sha'ul Formation / Cenomanian ) belonging, it is used in the region like for floor plates.