Effect of Salt Crystallization on the Building Stones Used in Konya, Central Turkey

Abstract

The cities of Konya, Kayseri, Ankara, Sivas, Kyrsehirand Nevsehir, all located in Central Turkey, are well-knownfor their famous historical buildings and monumentsbelonging to prehistoric to medieval civilizations. Withthe Hittite monuments and Seljuk-Ottoman mosques,medresses and caravansaries, the city of Konya is themost distinctive among others. Especially, the buildingsare significant for the identity of the Seljuk and Ottomanarchitecture, which was dominant during the period of11th and 20th centuries. Travertines, andesites and granitesare the most used rocks for construction purpose bythese two dominant empires in the Middle East. Thebuildings have suffered stone weathering since theirconstruction and the preservation of these buildingshas become a great issue for the past decades. The sourceregion of the rocks used in these buildings as well asHittite monument (dacite was used) at Eflatun is displayedin Fig. 1.