Damage Assessment and Mortar Identification in Beylerbeyi Palace

The historical building stock and seismic risk of Anatolia draws considerable attention of the engineers for studying the construction techniques and the earthquake performance of these structures. This study is dealing with the 145 years old Beylerbeyi palace. Within the study architectural features and the construction technique of the palace are introduced and the existing condition of the structure is investigated. The observed damages are classified and the possible sources of these damages are discussed. The final stage is the chemical analyses, performed over the mortar of the structure. Thin section analyses, Scanning Electro microscope analyses, Energy Dispersive X Ray Analyses and X-Ray Diffraction Analyses have been applied over ruins of Beylerbeyi Palace. The results of the analyses have been used to determine the origin of the mortar. Key Words : Historical structures, Damage evaluation, Horasan mortar, Mortar investigation.