Mineralogical characterization of Islamic stucco: Minaret of Shams El-Deen El-Wasty, Bulaq, Egypt

•Reconstruction of the original stucco of the Minaret of Shams El-Deen El-Wasty.•Analysis of deteriorated stucco samples to determine the probable deterioration factors.•Analysis of the construction materials of the Minaret of Shams El-Deen El-Wasty.

The mosque of Shams El-Deen El-Wasty, a building located in Cairo, Egypt that was built in the 9th century A.H., and has a stucco minaret that is suffering from a great deal of deterioration that has caused the complete loss of some stucco decorations and other parts that need restoration and conservation, so a solution for this problem has become urgent. A physiochemical study using analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR and SEM.EDX was done. All analytical methods indicated that the stucco minaret contains gypsum, lime, and quartz. The samples of brick joint mortars consist of calcite, quartz, charcoal, gravels, brick dust, pieces of limestone, and organic additives look like chopped straw. The chemical–physical study of the deteriorated stucco samples proved that anhydrite is the main deterioration aspect.