Meleke
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Meleke (Arabic, “kingly” or “royal”), also melekeh or malaki, is a type of white massif limestone underlying much of central Israel. A type of dolomitic limestone, meleke has been extensively quarried for centuries and has been used in many of the region's most celebrated structures, including the famous Western Wall. "Jerusalem stone," as it is sometimes known, is extracted from quarries in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem areas. The color of the aged stone has a typical golden hue, but may range in tone from pinkish to off-white.
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[edit] Geology and physical properties
Meleke is a white, coarsely crystalline, thickly bedded limestone from the Upper Turonian Stage of the Bina (Baana) Formation of Late Cretaceous age (about 90 million years old). When freshly cut, it is a pure white limestone. It may retain its white color for many years or it may be insolated to a light golden yellow. When quarried it is soft and quite workable, but upon exposure it hardens and develops a clear surface. This surface will take a high polish. Meleke withstands natural erosion very well and provides a high-quality building stone, as well as commercial marble. (The name “meleke" is said to have been coined and used by the Arab masons in Jerusalem.)
[edit] History
Meleke has been used as a building material since ancient times. Meleke, or "royal" stone, has been of great importance in the history of the city of Jerusalem. When it is first exposed to the air it can be soft enough to be cut with a knife, but exposed to the air it hardens to make a stone of considerable durability, useful for building. Hundreds of caverns, cisterns, tombs and aqueducts in Jerusalem have been excavated from this stone.[1] According to a long-standing legend, “Zedekiah's Cave”, a large ancient meleke cave/quarry near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, is the source of building material for Solomon’s First Temple.[2]
Municipal laws in Jerusalem require that all buildings be faced with local Jerusalem stone (whether meleke or another). The ordinance dates back to the British Mandate and the governorship of Sir Ronald Storrs[3] and was part of a master plan for the city drawn up in 1918 by Sir William McLean, then city engineer of Alexandria.[4]
Today, meleke is still widely used locally for construction and is sometimes incorporated in Judaica such as menorahs and seder plates. It is also used in the American building trade as a countertop material, as certain subtypes are non-porous.
[edit] Other "Jerusalem stones"
Besides meleke, a number of other building stone types in the Jerusalem area may fall under the general rubric of "Jerusalem stone". According to a report by the Geological Survey of Israel:
The various rock types in the area were exploited for different purposes.The variety of lithologic types used in building are: 1. White, coarse crystalline limestone originally referred to as "Meleke", the stone of Kings. 2. Cream-colored micritic limestone known locally as "Mizzi Hilu" (sweet rock). 3. Red-colored limestone known as "Mizzi Ahmar" (red rock). 4. Gray crystalline dolomite known as “Mizzi Yehudi” (Jewish rock – modern times). 5. Flagstone of thin-layered limestone. These rock types were quarried from the Judean limestone and dolomite in and around the Old City of Jerusalem. This variety of stone gives Jerusalem its unique character. The setting sun reflected on the cream-colored limestone facade of both ancient and modern structures gives them a golden hue, giving rise to the term "Jerusalem of Gold"[5].
[edit] References
- ^ Entry, “Jerusalem”, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1994), 4 volumes, Hendrickson Publishers
- ^ Friedman, Thomas L., “Quarrying History in Jerusalem, The New York Times, 1 December 1985
- ^ Jerusalem Architecture Since 1948
- ^ The British Mandate from "Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City". Online course material from the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- ^ Arkin, Yaacov and Amos Ecker (2007), “Report GSI/12/2007: Geotechnical and Hydrogeological Concerns in Developing the Infrastructure Around Jerusalem”, The Ministry of National Infrastructures, Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, July, 2007
