Natural Stone and World Heritage: Delhi-Agra, India

Gurmeet Kaur, Sakoon Singh, Anuvinder Ahuja, Noor Singh

This book provides a useful description of several World Heritage buildings in northern India, such as The Taj Mahal and the Delhi Red Fort, with particular reference to the geological character of the materials used in their construction together with summaries of the origins of the buildings in their historical context. Although the book covers a very wide range of topics which cannot be considered in detail the authors provide many links to the diverse source material they have utilized. The emphasis of the work is on the Makrana marbles and the Vindhyan X sandstones; both now designated as World Heritage Building Stones. Descriptions are provided of the geology of their source regions and the petrography of the rocks. The book is well illustrated with respect to geological and historical maps, the quarries from which the building stones were extracted, and excellent illustrations of the heritage buildings. The geological parts of the book are not overly technical and can be readily understood by anyone with a smattering of geological knowledge. The work also includes recommendations for preservation of both the stone quarries and the monuments. The book is important in that it brings together in one volume material which will appeal not only to geoscientists, geohistorians and architectural historians but to any one visiting these well know cultural sites. In this regard the regard the work is more useful than many existing travel guides.Roger Mitchell, Professor Emeritus, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, CanadaThe book Natural Stone and World Heritage: Delhi-Agra, India is a delightful trip to these important Unesco World Heritage Sites. All the monuments of Delhi and Agra are very well described in this richly illustrated publication. It is interesting to learn about the different stones used in their buildings, namely Makrana Marble, Vindhyan Sandstone and Delhi Quartzite, as well as knowing more about historical quarries. You will discover the countless precious stones inlaid in the Makrana Marble of Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb. The authors also discuss the conservation of these sites. It is a book that unites culture, geology and history.Eliane Del Lama, Associate Professor, Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil

• 1. UNESCO World Heritage Sites, International Union of Geological Sciences and Heritage Stone Subcommission. 2. Delhi and Agra vis-à-vis monuments. 3. Repository of Stones used in Delhi and Agra UNESCO Sites: Aravalli Mountain Belt and Vindhyan Basin. 4. UNESCO World Heritage sites of Delhi and Agra: An Account. 5. Historical quarries of the Makrana Marble, the Vindhyan sandstone and the Delhi quartzite vis-à-vis functional quarries. 6. Preservation, Conservation and Restoration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Delhi and Agra. 7. Conclusions.