Читать книгу Monument Future - Siegfried Siegesmund - Страница 132

The monument of Turegs Kul’Chur at Ikh Khöshööt is among the numerous funerary monuments spread over the Mongolian countryside dating back to the Turkic period. It comprises steles with inscriptions, humanand animal-shaped sculptures and remnants of a sarcophagus all made of different varieties of local granitoids. Since 2016, Austrian-Mongolian conservation training workshops have been held there. The aim was to preserve the site and achieve a better understanding of physical and chemical properties of the used material, weathering and decay processes and the impact of the climatic conditions and environment to the site, in-depth research that is only at the beginning in Mongolia.

Two decay patterns common for granites, delamination and disintegration, pose a considerable threat to the original substance. It is supposed that thermal loads, temperature gradient, stone-intrinsic properties including stress release (Winkler 2013) and quarrying may have caused and accelerated the decay.

Visual inspections in situ were combined with petrographic studies of samples using instrumental analysis to determine composition, structure and texture of the stone and to describe decay patterns. The combined use and evaluation of three non-destructive field tests – two tests on water absorption and ultrasonic pulse velocity measurement – enabled to characterize the degree of weathering and decay of the different stone elements. Results were put in context with surface temperature measurements to characterize heating and cooling behavior and meteorological and climate data. Thus, the hypotheses on environmental and material intrinsic factors that accelerate and contribute to decay could be partly supported. Based on the condition survey underpinned with extensive analyses, a conservation treatment concept was developed and carried out.