[HDS10-P02] CHANGING PROPERTIES OF ARCHITECTURE BY MAJOR EARTHQUAKES THE FATIH MOSQUE, ISTANBUL, TURKEY
Keywords:Fatih Mosque , Istanbul, Massive Earthquakes
Fatih Mosque was built (1462 – 1470) Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Mehmet II) by the chief architect Atik Sinan. It is understood from the historical knowledge that; Fatih Mosque, one of the oldest and most important religious monuments of Istanbul, had to be renewed many times due to natural events like storms and hurricanes or manmade incidents such as fire. At the earthquake that happened in May 22, 1766, the main dome entirely collapsed, the walls heavily damaged, Imaret (soup kitchen) and the madrasas were ruined.The mosque was evaluated as irreparable and was decided to be rebuilt at the same place with a different plan and was started to be built in 1767. Fatih Mosque continued being affected by earthquakes and following the earthquake in July 10, 1894, the last impact was the earthquakes Kocaeli and Duzce in 1999. The major physical damages were cracks at the domes, minarets, tombs and the fountain yard and dislocation of the stones at other buildings of the complex. Fatih Mosque was renewed and consolidated. Maintenance was barely finished in 2013 and the mosque was reopened. Nowadays, the amendments at old madrasas and the walls that include the fountain are still in progress. In this study, in light of all information (references, pictures, etc.), the differences between the first and the last plan of the mosque and the negative or positive relations between the main structure and other additional parts will be evaluated. Furthermore, other geological and tectonic factors that cause Istanbul's important historical monument to be affected this much by earthquakes will be discussed. After all, the important fact is that; both the rebuilding and repairs supported by serious scientific studies done in recent years, provided a major contribution for this great monument in reaching to present with all its glory.