Sarooj
Sarooj is a traditional water-resistant mortar used in Iranian architecture,[1][2] used in the construction of bridges[3] and yakhchāl, ancient Persian ice houses.[4] It is made of clay and limestone mixed in a six-to-four ratio to make a stiff mix, and kneaded for three days.[citation needed] A portion of furnace slags from baths is combined with cattail (Typha) fibers, egg, and straw, and fixed, then beaten with a wooden stick for even mixing. Egg whites can be used as a water reducer as needed.
History
Mosaddad et al. report the use of a mixture consisting of lime, sand and ash in the construction of an 1800 year-old Sasanian bridge-dam on the Karoon river south of Shooshtar.[3] The Sheikh's biogas bath-house in Isphahan featured a water-impermeable sarooj composed of lime, egg white, and bamboo dust.[2]
Another alternative formulation used for yakhchāl and water tanks in Iran uses "sand, clay, egg whites, lime, goat hair, and ash in specific proportions."[4] All of these examples utilize pozzolanic properties and/or incorporate biopolymerization to increase the durability and impermeability of the plaster.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Peter Jackson (1975). A Windtower House in Dubai. Art and Archaeology Research Papers. p. 8.
- ^ a b Bernhard Glaeser (5 September 2013). Learning From China?: Development and Environment in Third World Countries. Routledge. pp. 227–. ISBN 978-1-136-88103-9.
- ^ a b Changkuan Zhang; Hongwu Tang (28 July 2010). Advances in Water Resources & Hydraulic Engineering: Proceedings of 16th IAHR-APD Congress and 3rd Symposium of IAHR-ISHS. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 947–949. ISBN 978-3-540-89465-0.
- ^ a b The Earth Refrigerators as Earth Architecture at IJESD.org
- ^ Old Materials and Techniques to Improve the Durability of Earth Buildings