ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE BRICK TILES 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 brick tiles are extensively used to construct the monuments all over the Pakistan and also within the Lahore Fort complex (Mughal Period) and then to preserve/restore (Sikh’s, British and Post-Independence periods) several times. The properties of the brick are 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 are selected. All these selected monuments have brick tiles specimens of each period, which are Mughal, Sikh’s, British and Post-Independence one. Care is taken while extraction of brick tile specimens under the supervisions of historians and conservators with the help of hammer and chisel. The brick tiles are identified by well-established techniques of testing, i.e., chemical analysis, water absorption, efflorescence, crushing strength. Finally, tables of comparison and graphs are developed with respect to these variations, to check the % of sulphates, chlorides, total dissolved solids, water absorption, crushing strengths and densities of all the specimens of the brick tiles related to each period.
Keywords: Brick Tiles, Chemical Analysis, Crushing Strength, Water Absorption, Mughal’s, Sikh’s, British, Post-Independence Periods, Akbari Gate, Akbari Mahal, Royal Kitchen.
