Abstract
Natural stones being used in both interior and exterior of buildings are one of the common construction materials in the world. Sulaimani surroundings in North-Estern Iraq have large natural stone reserves that can be used in different engineering purposes. For the purpose of this study, stones of limestone belonging to the Kometan Formation, including forty one samples were collected from the quarry in Chaqchaq area, in Sulaimani City. Twenty samples of them (20) were prepared as prisms of dimensions (100x100x200) mm, and the others (21) samples were cubes of dimensions (100x100x100) mm; and so, laboratory tests including thin sections for studying rock’s composition, microfacies and environmental deposition. Water absorption, both dry and saturated unit weight (γdry, γsat), uniaxial compressive strength in both dry and saturated states loaded parallel and perpendicular to the bedding were performed. The results indicated that there are remarkable differences in strength and behavior of stone specimens loaded parallel to the bedding and perpendicular to it in both dry and saturated conditions.