Fired Brick and Sulphate Attack: The Case of Moenjodaro, Pakistan

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the principal causes of the failure and decay of the archaeological structures of Moenjodaro, a World Heritage Site in Pakistan, and of the low-cost measures adopted for the conservation of its 52 km of exposed walls. Improper past conservation measures and their effects on brick decay were surveyed and highlighted in the context of salts attack. In order to further understand the influence of environmental salts on the durability of fired brick and soil (mud mortar, mud brick capping), an overview of the employment of mud slurry and of poulticing is also provided.