Stylite Tower of Um ar-Rasas (Jordan)
The Department for the Geological Survey of Italy has been providing since 2009 a technical-scientific support to the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DOA) for studies and geological conservation of the Jordanian cultural heritage.
The Byzantine Stylite Tower is situated in the UNESCO site of Um ar-Rasas, in center-eastern Jordan. Built in the fist half of the 6th c. AD, the tower represents the last witness of a stylite structure in the Middle East. The square plan tower, with 2.5 side and 13.5 m height, was built with local limestone blocks, following a peculiar architectural technique. During the centuries, the tower has suffered from structural damage due to strong earthquakes which have caused cracks in the base of the structure as well as inclination and rotation of the NE top corner
ISPRA, in cooperation with ENEA, has carried out several geological, geophysical, geotechnical and seismic studies and field investigations. A preliminary design for the structural consolidation of the tower with the application low impact innovative techniques has been presented and approved by DOA and UNESCO.
A successive project phase consists in the implementation of more in-depth studies for the assessment of the seismic vulnerability of the tower, application of remote monitoring techniques and a more advanced structural analysis as part of a final design of consolidation interventions.