For preserving our cultural heritage against earthquake risks, a “Guide for Management of Earthquake Risks for Historical Structures” has started to be prepared with the cooperation of Turkish Prime Ministry’s General Directorate of Foundations and Istanbul Governorship’s Istanbul Project Coordination Unit (IPCU).
Istanbul Project Coordination Unit’s studies for conservation of cultural heritage which started under a protocol entered into with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on May 22, 2006 now continue with “Guide for Management of Earthquake Risks for Historical Structures” under the protocol entered into with General Directorate of Foundations on April 26, 2016.
To that end, the first meeting was held on May 13, 2016 in Istanbul with the participation of representatives of IPCU, General Directorate of Foundations, Istanbul Surveying and Monuments Directorate, along with specialist academicians including, among others, Prof. Dr. Zeynep Ahunbay, Prof. Dr. Gülay Altay, Prof. Dr. Görün Arun, Prof. Dr. Zekai Celep, Prof. Dr. Murat Altuğ Erberik, Prof. Dr. Alper İlki ve Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Gül Ünal.
With the “Workshops for Preparing ‘Conservation Regulations for Turkey’ in the field of Architectural Conservation and Restoration” which were organized by IPCU on September 2012 and March 2013 respectively, foundations were laid, for the first time, for regulations concerning conservation of cultural heritage. In the end of said workshops, “Declaration on Conservation of Turkish Architectural Heritage” which includes basic principles for conservation, cultural heritage definitions, cultural heritage conservation processes, conservation tools, and conservation policies was prepared.
This declaration clarified the needs for conservation of cultural heritage, and revealed the necessity to prepare guides and regulations for historical structures for which earthquake risks should be managed.
This project aims to establish a common ground for and ensure information sharing at national and international level regarding designation of disaster risks of structures recognized as cultural heritage, in particular, management of earthquake risks, protection against disasters, and improved resistance.