Investigation of painted stucco in historic buildings of Delta, Egypt

Samples removed from stucco ornaments of two mosques (seventeenth century) in El-Mahalla El-Kubra, Delta, Egypt, are investigated using optical microscopy, micro-Raman and micro-FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Samples are studied as removed from the ornaments and after treatment with trichloromethane, which was used to extract the organic content. Moreover, the stratigraphies of the ornaments are investigated through a sample’s cross-section analysis revealing a bulk stucco layer, a colouring layer (either red or black) and overpainted layers of later interventions.