A Quantitative Approach for Evaluating Intervention-Value Relations: Historic Mosques of Manisa, Turkey

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to propose a systematic way of evaluating the impact of historic and current interventions on cultural asset values of monuments that have preserved their authentic functions so that future interventions can be better guided. Design/methodology/approach The study focuses on the Mosque typology. The case studies are chosen from a region that has a rich historic background, but has generally undergone rapid urbanization and faces extensive restorations today. Conventional site survey, archive and historical research and visual analysis are made, but the evaluation process has been designed. As a result, scale and intensity of interventions and disasters and the vulnerability of the monument should be identified for each period of the asset. Variations in the intensity of esthetic or historic qualities and the environmental settings should be credited, rather than the utilitarian necessities. Findings Mosques and their environs are most vulnerable in terms of their architectural authenticity and site aesthetics. Originality/value The objects studied in the previous studies present a variation, but the majority of the work is carried out with conventional evaluation methods with the emphasis on building scale. However, the mosques are affected by the interventions and disasters, not only as single architectural entities but also as the focal elements of their neighborhoods. So, the intervention-value relations should be understood both for building and site scales. An evaluation process is proposed for understanding the change of values with respect to interventions and disasters throughout history by combining qualitative and quantitative techniques.