The Protection Measurements of a Cultural Heritage Sites: Earthquake Disasters in Dana Village, Jordan

Abstract

The impact of earthquakes on heritage sites is usually studied after a disaster has fallen and its impact on the site is evaluated. This study took the subject from a parallel point of view, which is the study of the state of the heritage site and its evaluation before a disaster. For this purpose, a heritage village in Jordan was chosen as a case study, the village of Dana in southern Jordan. Referring to previous studies and determining the research variables, the site was visited and the factors that could increase earthquake risks on site was studied. The case was evaluated, preparedness strategies were reached and the most important procedures were identified in the preparedness plan stages. The study concludes that the construction methods and materials used were not the cause for weakness, but rather factors related mainly to usage, lack of maintenance and the extraneous materials to the current construction and therefore the proposed plan was to achieve one aspect of developing strategies to preserve the heritage site of Dana, which is the non-structural aspect (Qualitative Approach) that demonstrates the most important causes of damage. The structural aspect can be discussed and studied separately.