The consolidation strategy of the Noh Gonbad mosque vestiges in Balkh (Afghanistan)

Abstract

The Noh Gonbad mosque is an almost unknown masterpiece created in 794 a.D. (178 a.H.) near the town of Balkh, North Afghanistan. The mosque, one of the oldest monuments of the early Islamic architecture in Central Asia, derives its name from the nine domes, all collapsed. This monument in a state of ruin, partly hidden by debris generated by collapsed roofs, represents an important witness of the transition from Sassanid culture and the first Islamic caliphates, described in the splendid decoration, carried out by carved gypsum that covered all the internal surface of the architecture. Such archaeological site shows a building made by different materials, as rammed earth (walls), adobes (walls, niches and abutment of the arcades) and, in some important parts (domes, arches and columns), baked bricks (with the use of earthen mortar and, only for the columns, gypsum mortar). So weak but important monument needed consolidation actions for the still standing arch system, close to collapse. In the present phase, the thick debris layer is being removed in order to return the architecture to its original configuration. The critical state of the perimeter walls requires a consolidation of the materials and a structural reinforcement due to the increased risk of overturning jointed with the removal of the debris, until now acting as a restraint. The paper faces with the need to find compatible strategies to operate a strengthening of the perimeter wall. A great experimental campaign was carried out and targeted devices were created in order extend the life of this masterpiece. Institutions involved in such enterprise: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, French Archeologist Delegation, University of Florence, Associazione Giovanni Secco Suardo, WMF.