Picture Perfect: Using Drone Technology and Photogrammetry Techniques to Map the Western Stone Forts of Ireland

The Western Stone Forts form some of the most spectacular archaeological monuments in Ireland and include well known sites such as Dún Aonghasa in Co. Galway and Cahercommaun in Co. Clare. The group comprises a number of heterogeneous forts characterized by their exceptionally thick and high stone walls and other distinctive architectural features such as terraces, steps, guard chambers, and chevaux de fries. It is clear, however, that they form a loosely defined group of monuments that have a broad chronological span ranging from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Medieval period. The aim of this project is to create a complete suite of high resolution three-dimensional models of the Western Stone Forts on the Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and assess the applicability of photogrammetry techniques to landscape studies and heritage management.     

Urban morphological change in the case of Selcuk,Turkey: A mixed-methods approach

The purpose of this article is comparatively to determine changes in the urban morphology of the city of Selcuk in Izmir province, Turkey, using quantitative and qualitative methods, specifically cartographic redrawing and commented walk. Using two different methods makes it possible to include the human factor, which has not been studied extensively in the urban morphology literature. In the first section, the two methods are discussed in detail. Regarding cartographic redrawing, the 1897 map and aerial photographs of the area were used. For the qualitative part of the study, commented walks were carried out with 15 people. The city’s morphological development can be divided into five historical periods from 1897 onwards, with the findings showing that the findings obtained by combining two different methods complement each other. Moreover, small-scale changes in form and function, which could not be revealed in detail by quantitative methods, were identified through the commented walks. These small changes have affected Selcuk’s citizens at least as much as the large-scale changes.     

Investigation of the Seismic Behavior of a Historical Masonry Minaret Considering the Interaction with Surrounding Structures

This study examines the seismic behavior of the minaret of the well-known historical structure “Sultan Ahmed Mosque” under strong earthquake motion. Despite their slenderness and height, minarets are towers with well-established earthquake resistance. In general, these structures were constructed adjacent to the main structure and/or its components. Hence, it is expected that the dynamic behavior of the minarets is influenced by the dynamic characteristics of the adjacent structures as well as the contact conditions. In the presented study, the dynamic behavior of the M6 minaret of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, which is in contact with the portico that surrounds the courtyard of the mosque, is considered. Ambient vibration tests were conducted on site in order to identify the individual and coupled vibration modes of the minaret and the portico. A finite/discrete model was developed and seismic analysis was carried out. The comparative study reveals considerable differences in responses of different models under strong and very strong earthquake motion.