ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE LIME MORTARS USED IN MUGHAL’S AND LATER PERIODS IN THE HISTORICAL SITES OF PUNJAB PAKISTAN (A CASE STUDY OF AKBARI MAHAL, AKBARI GATE AND ROYAL KITCHEN LAHORE FORT)

Abstract

Mughal’s (1566 A.D-1674 A.D), Sikh’s (1799 A.D – 1839 A.D), British (1846 A.D – 1927 A.D) and Post-Independence periods (1947 to date) are the most important one in the Archaeology of Pakistan in which lime mortar is extensively used either to construct the monuments all over the Punjab and also within the Lahore Fort complex (Mughal Period) and then to preserve/restore  (Sikh’s, British and Post-Independence periods) several times. The compatibility of the mortar is important to understand before any repair/renovation work. Three monuments named as Akbari Gate, Akbari Mahal and Royal Kitchen within the complex of Royal Fort Lahore is selected. All these selected monuments have lime mortar samples of each period, which is the Mughal, Sikh’s, British and Post-Independence one. Care is taken while extraction of lime mortar under the supervisions of historians and conservators with the help of sludge hammer and chisel. Well established techniques “Wet Chemical Analysis” and “XRD” (X-ray powder diffraction) have been used to evaluate % of CaCO₃ and other ingredients present in lime mortar specimens. Through wet chemical analysis we found the Lime (CaO), Mixed Oxides (R₂O₃) and Silica (SiO₂). Whereas through XRD, we calculated the % of CaCO₃, % of aggregates (Silica etc.) and their minerals as well. Both types of experiments show the presence of lime as binding materials along with other ingredients in certain proportions. Finally, tables of comparison and graphs are developed with respect to these variations, to check the % of deviations with respect to each period.

Keywords: Lime Mortar, Chemical Analysis, Calcium Carbonate, Wet Chemical Analysis, XRD, Mughal’s, Sikh’s, British, Post-Independence Periods, Akbari Gate, Akbari Mahal, Royal Kitchen.