ALMAC, UMUT1; PEKMEZCI, IŞIL2; AHUNBAY, METIN3

1)Research Assistant Dr., Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, almacum@itu.edu.tr

2)Research Assistant Dr., Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, polatisil@gmail.com

3)Prof.Dr., Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture, metinahunbay@gmail.com

The subject of this study is a cistern, which is located in the archaeological site of Hagia Thecla in Silifke, Turkey. Unfortunately, the site has been deserted for a long time and most of the buildings in the archaeological site are in a ruined condition.

The cistern stands close to the remaining apse walls of the 5th century Hagia Thecla Basilica. It is a three aisled masonry structure covered with barrel vaults. In the course of time, almost half of the interior space was filled with soil and today only the upper part of the walls and columns are visible. In spite of some damages and alterations, the structure still stands firmly on the ground.

This study aims to assess the safety of the structure. Within the framework of the study, analyses were carried out by using FE models in order to investigate critical areas of the structure. As the primary damages are strictly related to the material deterioration, the 3D geometric data became crucial on the stress distribution of severely eroded load bearing columns.

Keywords: Cistern, masonry, structural analysis, finite element model, laser scanner