Shali Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Siwa Oasis, Egypt, was constructed using a unique material called karshif, earthen blocks with high salinity. While the salt content initially made the walls of Shali stronger, changing climatic conditions and increasing rainfall have more recently resulted in extensive erosion. Recuperating this traditional material while incorporating new methods for both forestalling or accelerating erosion, the project creates a new wall external to a portion of the old fortress. This intervention both temporarily protects the historic wall and accommodates restoration work and material research while anticipating it’s own eventual dissolution.
