Structural analysis of Five mMinarets in Bitlis

Bitlis is a city that has been the cradle of many civilizations and is located in an important strategic transition corridor in the Eastern Anatolia Region. There are many historical structures belonging to different civilizations in the province. This thesis aims to structural analyses of the Five Minarets, which are the subject of advertising and are the subject of folk songs in terms of the historical structures of the province. These minarets are in a very valuable position in terms of witnessing the important events of Bitlis and the history of the province. The material properties of the Bitlis stone used in the construction of the minarets were determined by nondestructive test methods. Detailed information was given about each minaret within the scope of this study. The dimensions and current structural conditions of each of the five minarets were determined by on-site measurements. The earthquake behavior of the minarets was tried to be determined by using the vertical and horizontal design spectra included in the current earthquake code for each minaret. The analyses for minarets built in a masonry manner were performed through structural models which were designed using the finite element method. The period and displacement values as well as the stress values occurring in the minarets under different loading conditions were calculated.