Structural Evaluation of Historical Churches in Gumushane

Abstract

Anatolia is a rich and a vibrant land with many historical buildings including churches. The historical churches in Northeast Anatolia are under risk due to frequent, high-magnitude earthquakes. This part of Anatolia is a secluded mountainous region with several plateaus and rugged terrain. Historical churches are important cultural heritage for all of the world. They often lack sufficient structural performance in seismic resistance. In recent earthquakes, some of these churches sustained damages in various parts. In majority of the cases, poor seismic performance was attributed to the degrading effects of aging along with poor maintenance. Frequency of earthquakes and currently poor seismic performance of these historic buildings necessitate the seismic risk assessment. Such seismic risk assessment is also essential to proper restoration and renovation projects. The present research provides a detailed investigation of the historical churches in North East Anatolia. The study includes the application of a rapid visual inspection methodology on selected churches located in Gumushane. ATC 21 methodology was used for seismic risk assessment and evaluation of selected churches in Gumushane. Eight historical churches were investigated in the research using ATC approach. As a result of the investigation, structural assessment has been carried out for the historical buildings.