Abstract:  

Jordan limestone has a broad distribution and occurs in several stratigraphic levels. It is used fo ~~?stnrctiofn c omposite wall for aesthetic purposes, ...' as thin polished fles (marble), floor tiles and monumental architecture or dry stonewalling that characterizes tht? amtryside 'of Jordan buildings. The main goal of this study is to characterize the limestone rocks in Ma'an area in southern part of Jordan and to assess their suitability for building stone. For this purpose a detailed geological, petrographic and physico-mechanical tesls were carried out on some represerahe samples of this area aiming at establishing a better understanding of the important properties of these rocks. It is shown that the controlling factor of Ula classificalion of Ma'an area limestone is the uniaxial unconfined compressive stress.