A Graphical Ontology-Based Method for Rapid Damage Assessment of Stone Cultural Heritage Structures After an Earthquake: A Case Study of Mor Petrus and Mor Paulus Church, Adıyaman/Türkiye

Abstract

To prevent further damage to historical structures and elements after an earthquake, it is important to implement temporary interventions that aim to stabilize and support the affected area. Within this scope, it is crucial to promptly identify the areas in historical buildings that require urgent intervention. The aim of this study is to design a standardized assessment method that provides an objective evaluation for post-earthquake damage detection in stone cultural heritage structures, independent of subjective assessments, and can be easily and quickly implemented in the field. For the proposed method, the heavily damaged Mor Petrus and Mor Pavlus Church in Adıyaman, which was affected by the 2023 earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş, is used as a case analysis. The results of the study demonstrate that the presented method is beneficial for detecting damages in masonry church structures after an earthquake. The graphical ontology-based method followed in the study allows for the identification of damages at the level of structural elements and focuses on areas with urgent damage.