Seismic performance assessment of a historical masonry minaret: A case study Vaiz Baba Sunullah Melik Mosque minaret

Preserving the structures that make up our history and transferring them to next generations is very important, especially in Malatya, which is an earthquake zone, and it is important to conduct and evaluate the seismic performance of these structures. The impact of the January 24, 2020 Elâzığ-Sivrice earthquake on Malatya, as well as the February 6, 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake, made it necessary to determine the current seismic performance of historical monuments. A potential earthquake could have a significant harmful effect on historical monuments, leading to a loss of life and property. In order to minimize the damage that may occur, to prevent wholesale migration, the seismic performance in the current situation should be clear, the element can be analyzed under the effect of the earthquake, and these works can be used to predict the damages expected to break in the structure, to increase the performance with permanent detection and to extend the product life of the repair date. For this purpose, the seismic performance of the Minaret of Vaiz Baba Sunullah Melik Mosque in Battalgazi district of Malatya province was analyzed in its current state after the January 24, 2020 Elâzığ earthquake. In this study, a 3-axis finite element model of the structure was created and its material characteristics were determined using non-destructive testing methods. We used five biaxial accelerometers and five uniaxial accelerometers to determine the dynamic characteristics of the historical minaret. We tried to minimize the differences between the experimental frequency and the numerical frequency in the finite element model of the minaret by changing the material properties as low as 5%. We performed a nonlinear dynamic analysis after calibrating the numerical model. For these analyses, non-linear analyzes were performed by using the earthquake acceleration records of 24 January 2020 Sivrice-Elazığ, 23 November 2011 Van-Edremit and 1 May 2003 Bingöl earthquake, considering two different support situations representing the state of the historical minaret before and after leaving the masjid. We compare the results of the analyses with the damages caused by the earthquakes on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaraş.