CULTURAL HERITAGE SITE UNDER RISK: A CASE STUDY FROM PETRA, JORDAN

One of the major problems facing the World Heritage Site of Petra is of salt damage caused by weathering effect; this study examined and monitored the salt types and distribution within four different monuments at the site; these were the Treasury, Palace Tomb, Deir Tomb, and the Theatre. The study examined the interaction of both single salts and the salts in mixed solutions and their effect on each other’s solubility, it also determined the ‘safe’ levels of relative humidity where salt damage in monuments or objects contaminated with these salts can be minimized