A multidisciplinary study of an archaeological iron-armored wooden door from Al-Ganadlah Monastery in Middle Egypt

This study aims to identify manufacturing technology of an ancient door with distinctive features, which is located at the entrance of one of the important ancient monasteries in Asyut Governorate, Egypt, which is known as the Monastery of Al-Ganadlah. The ancient door that is the subject of this study combines artistic, aesthetic, and antique qualities, as it is made of wood covered on the front with iron panels using distinctively shaped iron nails. The door parts were studied using AutoCAD engineering recording to illustrate its fine details, manufacturing method, and dimensions. The type of wood was also examined using an optical microscopy, which confirmed that the wood was juniper. Microstructures were performed for the iron panels and nails; the examination showed the iron was low-carbon steel. The iron of the door panels and nails was analyzed using portable X-ray fluorescence (p-XRF) and optical emission spectrometry. The analysis confirmed that the main component of the iron panels and nails is iron at the rate of 99% with some other elements. CHNS Elemental Analyzer was conducted to determine the percentage of carbon and some other basic elements to confirm the type of iron used. The carbon percentage was 0.253% in door iron and 0.247% in nail iron; these results confirmed that the iron used was a type of low-carbon steel. Through this study, it has a major role in understanding the manufacturing technology of locally made armored doors in ancient times.