| The Old City of Akko (Acre) |
| The Hospitaller Center |
| Conservation measures undertaken in the Dining Hall (the “Crypt”), 2003 |
| Orderer | Old Akko Development Company, Ltd. |
| Duration | 2003 |
| Address | Block: 18009, Lot: 2 |
| Implemented by: |
Yotam Carmel
Orit Soffer
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The conservation measures undertaken in the dining hall, the Crypt, began at the end of the 1990’s, prior to its conversion to a restaurant for tourists visiting the fortress.
During 2003 we treated remains in three locations in the hall: the window in the southern wall was restored, missing stones were replaced in the eastern wall and conservation work was completed on the western column. Concomitantly, the Old Akko Development Company, Ltd. carried out development work in the hall. A passage in the western wall was also revealed and engineering steps were taken to stabilize it.
Restoration of the window in the southern wall – The western part of the window was restored in the past by enlarging the opening, without taking into consideration the lines of the original window. The eastern side of the window, as well as the other window openings in this wall, was sufficiently well preserved for us to understand the opening and to make a structural analysis of it. After studying the structure of the opening a plan was conceived and the restoration was carried out with new stone according to the original lines of the opening.
Continuation of the conservation work on the western column – The conservation work on the three columns in the crypt began in 2002. The three columns suffered from deteriorating stone, cracks and previous restorations made of cement. The western column was in a relatively worse state of conservation than two columns. Treatment of the center and eastern columns was completed at the beginning of 2003.
The conservation problems in the column included: missing stones and bonding materials and prior intervention using cement. The conservation measures were based on the work methods and composition of bonding materials employed in the previous phase of the work.
The completion of the stone work was performed using new stones or bonding material. Owing to time and budgetary restraints rather extensive use was made of bonding material, even in places where the completion could have been done using stone. This action was predicated on the principle of reverse intervention – in the future these restored areas can be dismantled and replaced with stone if necessary. The inner spaces and joints in the walls were also filled.
The continuation of the conservation measures in the hall will be conducted according to the methods established during the current phase of work or in previous phases.
It is important to continue the conservation of the “mushrooms” formed by the northern, eastern and western columns and the walls. The steps that are required to preserve them include the completion of the stone work and pointing up the joints. At the same time when the work is continued and in the future when it is completed, permanent monitoring should be conducted and ongoing conservation maintenance of the hall should be performed.
To view the figures, click on the figure caption
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