Jerusalem stone
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerusalem Stone is the trade name of stone quarried in areas from the Jordan River on the east of Israel to the Mediterranean Sea on the country's west, and from the southern Port of Eilat on the Red Sea to The Galilee and Haifa on the north. [1] It is mostly limestone, dolomitic limestone or dolomite, and tends to be of a gold or reddish hue, though some varieties are grey or nearly white. [2]
Municipal regulations in Jerusalem require that the front of every building be at least partially made of this stone. The regulations date back to the governorship of Ronald Storrs; they were issued as part of the implementation of a master plan for the city devised in 1918 by William McLean, then city engineer of Alexandria.[3]
Jerusalem stone is also used in the manufacture of judaica such as menorahs and seder plates. It is used in the American building trade as a countertop material, as certain subtypes are non-porous (unlike most limestone).[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Jerusalem Natural Stone from www.jerusalmestoneusa.com
- ^ Stone Guide from www.jerusalemgardens.com
- ^ The British Mandate from "Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City". Online course material from the Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
- ^ Countertop: Trends, Jennifer Gilmer, on www.kitchens.com
