An examination of the consept of refunctioning in Ottoman baths: The cases of Kars Muradiye (İlbeyoğlu) and Mazlumağa baths

Reuse is a conservation technique that allows for the utilization of existing building stock while ensuring the sustainability of historical structures and environments. Every building is constructed and used according to the needs and expectations of its period. These buildings, which meet the functions of the period they were built, start to be unused over time as they can no longer meet changing needs and expectations and are eventually abandoned. In recent years, the technique of giving new functions to historical buildings to meet the current needs and expectations has been frequently used to integrate the historical and cultural heritage from the past into the daily life of cities. The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the concept of reuse through the examples of the Ottoman period Muradiye (İlbeyoğlu) and Mazlumağa baths, which were restored by giving new functions in the historical city center of Kars. To this end, these baths, which were reused as caferestaurants, were studied on both urban and building scales through literature and field studies. In the literature study, the cultural heritage infrastructure of Kars city, the changes that Muradiye and Mazlumağa baths have undergone from past to present, and their architectural features were revealed. The historical city center of Kars and the mentioned baths were examined on-site, and a survey was conducted. The survey was also considered on both urban and building scales. Since Mazlumağa bath is not yet open to use, the questions on the building scale in the survey were evaluated based on the visitors of the Muradiye bath, which is in use. The analyses showed that the new functions given to the baths fit the architectural integrity of the building, meet the needs of the city and its people, and have begun to revive the historical city center. As a result, reusing these abandoned baths not only helps in transferring the buildings to future generations but also makes positive contributions to the identity and perceptibility of the city. 2024, xx +172 Pages Keywords: Reuse, conservation, sustainability, Ottoman bath, Kars.