Documentation and analysis of structural elements of traditional houses for conservation of cultural heritage in Siverek (Şanlıurfa, Turkey)

Abstract

This study deals with the architectural properties of traditional Siverek houses, which are important in the larger corpus of Southeastern Anatolian houses. The historical city center of Siverek has partly preserved its authentic character with its monumental buildings and traditional houses. Despite the considerable number of traditional courtyard houses in Siverek, no detailed survey has been conducted on them. In this work, these traditional houses in the historical Siverek City center are identified and documented for the first time. Their plans, façades, and structural systems are examined in detail, and the structural elements are comprehensively analyzed. We document the architectural features of these traditional Siverek houses and introduce the cultural heritage of the city. These details provide information for proper decision-making regarding the preparation of restitution and restoration projects and selecting materials and techniques that suit the structures to be restored.