This book discusses heritage stones which were used in the making of the architectonic heritage of Delhi and Agra, encompassing UNESCO world heritage sites and heritage sites designated as prominent by the Indian government. The most famous monument of the two cities is the ‘Taj Mahal’ of Agra. The book focuses on the geological characteristics of the famous Makrana marble, red sandstone and other sandstone variants of the Vindhyan basin and Delhi quartzite, the most widely used stones in almost all the monuments, as well as on their quarries. The work also aims to sensitise the public to protecting and preserving the architectonic heritage of these two densely populated cities in India as repositories of our past cultures and traditions. Identifying the nature and provenance of stones/rocks used in construction will lead to better restoration for future generations, in light of the deterioration of architectonic heritage through various natural weathering agencies and anthropogenic activities. The book will serve as a useful source book to economic geologists, geologists, archaeologists, architects, historians and stone industry operators specifically and to academic and non-academic communities, travellers and tourism industry operators in general. The book will benefit students, researchers, and rock enthusiasts spanning all age groups and academic levels.

Apulian limestones constitute the historic building constructions of the Puglia region (in the south of Italy) named trulli (representing an outstanding universal value for UNESCO), but also other stone buildings of the well-known Itria Valley. Trulli are drywall (mortarless) constructions made of roughly worked limestone blocks collected from neighbouring fields. The limestone for trulli is quarried from different Apulian localities and, together with another local lithotype, represents the stone heritage of the Itria Valley. This book begins with an introduction to the region of southern Italy where trulli and other typical stone architecture can be found. The Itria Valley with its towns and landscape and the town of Alberobello are described from an architectural point of view. The second section describes the different examples of building constructions in local stone of the Itria Valley, focusing on ancient and contemporary quarries. In this part petrographic and physical mechanical characteristics of the main kind of limestones are reported and discussed. The third part focuses on the main examples of stone architecture of Itria Valley, distinguishing the historical rural buildings from the other historical civil ones. In this section particular attention is given to best practices of evaluation action, protection rules and restoration methods for stone heritage in Itria Valley and Alberobello. This book serves as a useful source of information to geologists, archaeologists, architects, historians and stone industry operators specifically, and to academic and non-academic communities, travellers, and tourism industry operators in general. The book will also be of interest to students, researchers, and rock enthusiasts spanning all age groups and academic levels.

This book is about the stone used to build the castles of Edward I in North West Wales. It provides a description of the available geological resources and the building materials used in the construction of Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris Castles. It takes a broad view of this subject, placing the stone used in the castles in the context of both earlier and later buildings across the region of study, from the Neolithic up until the present day. The book will serve as a useful source book for geologists, archaeologists, architects, representatives of the natural stone industry, historians and cultural heritage management professionals specifically and for academic and non-academic communities, travellers and tourism industry operators in general.

There are many UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany. Most of them are built with natural stones. These sites are commonly presented to the public with a lot of information regarding historical, cultural and artistic aspects. Mostly, there is no focus on the main building material if it concerns natural stones. This work aims to show that it is precisely the natural stone that lends the sites their distinctive character. The used stones demonstrate the context and the interaction with the geology of the surrounding countryside as well as possibilities of transport and treatment. They reflect the culture and society at the time of the building phases. The second part of the work presents the most important stones that were used at these sites, along with their occurrences, aspects of quarrying in historical times and of course their petrographical, mineralogical and technical features. It is shown how these features influence the weathering of the stones and how restoration of stones is carried out. The book will serve as a useful source book for geologists, archaeologists, architects, representatives of the natural stone industry, historians and cultural heritage management professionals specifically, and for academic and nonacademic communities, travelers and tourism industry operators in general.

"There are many world heritage sites in Germany. Most of them are constructed of or with natural stones. These sites are commonly presented to the public with a lot of information regarding historical, cultural, and artistic aspects. Mostly there is no focus on the main building material, if it concerns natural stone. This work aims to show that it is precisely the natural stone that lends the sites their distinctive character. The used stones demonstrate the context and the interaction with the geology of the surrounding countryside as well as possibilities of transport and treatment. They reflect culture and society at the time of the building phases. The second part of the work presents the most important stones that were used at these sites, along with their occurrences, aspects of quarrying in historical times and of course their petrographical, mineralogical and technical features. It is shown how these features influence the weathering of the stones and how restoration of stones is carried out. The book will serve as a useful source book for geologists, archaeologists, architects, representatives of the natural stone industry, historians and cultural heritage management professionals specifically and for academic and non-academic communities, travellers and tourism industry operators in general"--