CHARACTERISATION OF MATERIALS OF THE ARAB BATH “EL BAÑUELO” (GRANADA)

In TESELA we will participate during 2019 in the restoration of the Bañuelo carrying out the previous characterisation of the original construction materials. As many of you know, the Bañuelo, Hammam al-Yawza or Baño del Nogal is a magnificent example of an Arab bath from the Zirid period (11th-12th century), declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC), which can be found in the Carrera del Darro (Granada) opposite the Puente del Cadí. Its location on a major thoroughfare and next to a gateway is characteristic of Andalusian baths.

In order to carry out the characterisation, a series of samples of mortar, bricks and earthen walls were analysed in order to detect possible constructional differences and the presence of pathologies. This makes it possible to develop specific consolidation and conservation methods that guarantee the proper restoration of the materials and structural elements that make up the building.

The analysis techniques used were loupe-videomicroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thin-film optical microscopy.

The results of this study were presented at the XXXVIII Reunión Científica de la Sociedad Española de Mineralogía (SEM-2019) held in Ronda (Málaga) in June 2019.