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During the restoration works in the closed part of the Basilica Cistern for about 4 years, it was determined that the tension elements made in the late restoration of the Republic ended at the beginning of the column and did not create continuity. This situation shows that in the event of a possible earthquake, serious damage can occur in Sarnıç and even landslides can occur. Not only the cistern, but also the surrounding structures are threatened.
“THIS IS AN EXTREMELY BORING SITUATION”
“We had certain determinations during the restoration work,” said Oktay Özel, Head of Cultural Heritage at IMM, “We are in a Byzantine cistern built 1,500 years ago. It is a very special building. It is also a tourist center in the center of the peninsula. It has been under restoration for a long time. We too meticulously. During the restoration work, we made certain observations, there were tension gaps in the part of the columns, which we immediately call the column head. Because the seismic behavior of the legs of supporting masonry is extremely problematic. The elements that improve these seismic behaviors are the stress bars. Of course, Istanbul was a very experienced city in terms of earthquakes at the time of its construction. With Eprem’s experience, they have developed some building support systems. One of them is wooden struts placed on the heads of columns. Wooden turnbuckles have been replaced over time by iron turnbuckles. The iron tensioners were renewed in the period of the Republic. During this renovation, an intervention was carried out in a discontinuous manner and there was no continuity of these tensions, especially at the head of the columns ”, he said.
STRENGTHENING PROJECT HAS BEEN PREPARED, WAITING FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE PROTECTION BOARD
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Stating that the building was modeled by expert civil engineers based on the determinations made, Özel said: “We have a committee of natural sciences. The static consultant of our scientific committee is Prof. Dr. Feridun Çılı. Çılı examined the work done and took the decision to renew these tensioning irons “. A reinforcement project was elaborated by our management and expert engineers, the scope of this reinforcement project was to renew the gaps in the column heads and the iron continuously. “The Board of Conservation followed up the matter with the relevant person and conducted on-site inspections. As soon as the project is approved, we and our contractor want to provide earthquake safety to the Basilica Cistern quickly,” he said.
” NOT ONLY THE SARNIÇ, BUT THE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE DAMAGED ”
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Speaking of the risk of collapse of the cistern in a possible earthquake, Özel emphasized that above-ground structures and the vicinity of Yerebatan may also be negatively affected, saying: “Of course, it is extremely difficult to approach historical buildings, especially in terms of earthquake reinforcement. Interventions are limited. 1500-year-old building. In this context, when we completed our structural models, we determined that there would be intense stress concentrations especially at the column heads during an earthquake. This stress concentration means that the elements there are damaged during the earthquake. This means that it can cause dangerous situations like collapse. This is not only a danger for the Basilica Cistern, it is a tourist area of heavy use upstairs, apart from that there are some private buildings that They are for public use, they are dangerous situations that we do not want to imagine as harm s. We are likely to meet. This means we don’t have time to wait a second from now. We have an obligation to quickly ensure earthquake safety in the Basilica Cistern. We will take action quickly in cooperation with authorized institutions and organizations. We are talking about a 1,500-year-old heritage of humanity. Preserving this heritage is our responsibility ”, he said.
