Adaptive Reuse of Abandoned Churches in the Walled City of Famagusta, North Cyprus

Abstract

There are so many abandoned heritage buildings worldwide and due to the lack of function and maintenance, they are ruined, deteriorate easily, and are forgotten. Similarly, abandoned valuable religious buildings faced vandalism deliberately because of the decreasing demand for use or lack of their communities. Some churches in Islamic countries are left useless and with no function, and North Cyprus is one of them. The Walled City of Famagusta has many historic religious buildings like cathedrals and churches. This research aims to develop proposals for the adaptive reuse of abandoned churches in the Walled City of Famagusta to overcome their current problems. The methodology of this historical research is qualitative and comparative. The data collection techniques are based on literature review and observation. This research will bring new perspectives on these churches' conservation for architects, historical researchers, and conservationists.