ARCH 311

PRINCIPLES OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION

DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY RELATED

WITH THE COURSE
 We conserve our HERITAGE
• What is heritage?
Heritage is what we inherit,
but more specifically what we
retain of this inheritance.

Whatever you want to preserve …

for the next generations
We all have a personal heritage of places and things that
are special to us and our families and friends.
 Heritage consists of those things we have inherited and
want to keep.

These places and objects give us a sense of the past

and of our cultural identity.

They are the things we want to protect and

pass on to future generations so that they will
understand what came before them.
The same quality of
attachment applies to
places valued by

our local community, Venetian Column in Lefkosa

our state,

Nemrut Mountain

our country and

Bam and its Cultural Landscape

even the whole world . Rock Drawings in Valcamonica

Memphis and its Necropolis – the

Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
 Types of heritage

• Tangible heritage is • Intangible heritage is

physical evidence of
previous or current
cultures such as buildings,
landscapes, objects and
collections.
defined by UNESCO as
the non-physical
characteristics, practices,
representations,
expressions as well as
knowledge and skills that
identify and define a
group or civilization.
 TANGIBLE
Geographical formations (natural heritage)
buildings

landscapes
objects

Underwater objects
 INTANGIBLE
The Carnival of Binche

Performing arts
(such as traditional music, dance and theatre)

Social practices, rituals and

festive events

Traditional craftsmanship

Oral traditions and expressions including

language as a vehicle of the intangible
Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the
cultural heritage
universe
Heritage items and places are synonymous terms.
Place: means site, area, land, landscape, group of buildings or other
works, and may include components, contents, spaces and views.

They can include:

•sites
•areas and cultural landscapes
•buildings and works (singly or grouped),
•relics and movable objects
•Components
•Contents
•spaces
•Views

•Heritage can be cultural and natural heritage.

the following shall be considered as “cultural heritage”:

– monuments: architectural works, works of monumental

sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an
archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and
combinations of features, which are of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of history, art or
science;

Duomo Cathedral, Italy Milan

– groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected
buildings which, because of their architecture, their
homogeneity or their place in the landscape, are of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of history,
art or science;

Kiyomizu Temple's Surroundings,

Kyoto Japan
 – sites: works of man or the
combined works of nature and
man, and areas including
archaeological sites which are
of outstanding universal value
from the historical, aesthetic,
ethnological or anthropological
point of view.

Historic Sites
Safranbolu, Turkey

Archecological Sites

Vrysi , Kyrenia
Karnak. Egypt.
 Historic Sites
• A compact group of building which by its
homogeneity as well as its architectural and
aesthetic unity, is itself of historic, archeological
and artistic interest.

• Typology of historic sites:

– Historic city centers,
– Historic urban quarters, which houses a great variety of
old buildings, reflecting the city’s cultural, social and
economical history.
– Fortified areas
– Group of religious buildings
– The rural area, the village: the expression of a social and
economic system based on agriculture, they often reveal
defensive properties, for example, mountain –top villages
– Industrial and mining area
 Historic city centers

Amasya Mardin
 Archeological Sites
• Archaeology is all about the discovery, recovery
and interpretation of the surviving evidence of
past human activity in its context in or above the
ground.
• Archaeological sites are distinguished from
other heritage sites due to the fact that they
tend to be the relics and ruins of our past.
They may be on land, in water, or in the coastal
marine area.
 Archeological Sites

Persepolis aerial view. Panorama of Persepolis Ruins

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Panoramic view from Persepolis

Archeological Sites

Hattusha: the Hittite Capital*

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Yerkapi rampart in the south

Twelve Hittite Gods of the Underworld in the

nearby Yazılıkaya, a sanctuary of Hattusha
The Great Temple in the inner city
 Archeological Sites

Chavin (Archaeological Site)

PERU

Chavin de Huantar Temple

The archaeological site of Chavin
gave its name to the culture that
developed between 1500 and 300
B.C. in this high valley of the
Peruvian Andes.

This former place of worship is one

of the earliest and best-known pre-
Columbian sites. Its appearance is
striking, with the complex of
terraces and squares, surrounded
by structures of dressed stone, and
the mainly zoomorphic
ornamentation.
 Natural Heritage
the following shall be considered as "natural heritage":

natural features consisting of physical and biological formations or

groups of such formations, which are of outstanding universal value
from the aesthetic or scientific point of view;

geological and physiographical formations and precisely

delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened species
of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point
of view of science or conservation;

natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of outstanding

universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or
natural beauty.
The Central Amazon Conservation
Complex makes up the largest
protected area in the Amazon Basin
(over 6 million hectares) and is one of
the planet’s richest regions in terms
of biodiversity.

It also includes an important sample

of varzea ecosystems, igapó forests,
lakes and channels which take the
form of a constantly evolving aquatic
mosaic that is home to the largest
array of electric fish in the world.

The site protects key threatened

species, including giant arapaima
fish, the Amazonian manatee, the
black caiman and two species of river
dolphin.
 Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia

In a spectacular landscape, entirely

sculpted by erosion, the Göreme
valley and its surroundings contain
rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide
unique evidence of Byzantine art in
the post-Iconoclastic period.

Dwellings, troglodyte villages and

underground towns – the remains
of a traditional human habitat dating
back to the 4th century – can also
be seen there.
Types and Evaluation Criteria of
Cultural Properties

Moveable Cultural Properties

Immoveable Cultural Properties
 Types of Cultural Properties
• Cultural heritage is of two types:

• Immovable cultural heritage (various types

of monuments, and sites- Historic and
Natural sites)
• Movable cultural heritage.
 Classification of immovable
monuments
• The classification of immovable monuments is based on their typological,
functional, chronological or other features as well as their artistic, historical,
scientific, aesthetic and spiritual significance.

• Types of immovable monuments:

• a) Archaeological monuments (ancient town, village settlements, etc);
• b) Historical monuments ( places connected with historical processes,
events or people);
• c) Urban, park and landscape art monuments (historical settlements and
their complexes, engineering or other systems, architectural complexes,
ensembles or their parts, gardens, parks, etc.);
• d) Architectural monuments (civic, cult, defensive, utility and other buildings
or their parts or fragments, among them samples of modern construction);
• e) Monumental Fine Art monuments (frescoes, reliefs, statues, menhires,
stone-crosses, steles, grave stones, etc);
• f) Monuments tied up with the development of science, technology and
industry
• The chronological and typological classification of
immovable monuments is determined by the scientific
criteria accepted in the respective field.

• According to their artistic, historical, scientific, aesthetic or

spiritual values, immovable monuments belong to the
following categories:
• a) immovable monuments that have entered UNESCO’s
“World Heritage List”;
– Pasargadae in Iran, it is the first outstanding expression of the
royal Archaemenid architecture.
– City of Safranbolu in Turkey. Traditional core of the city were
protected as conservation area due to its unique wooden houses
(konak)
• b) immovable monuments of national significance; Karpaz
National Park
• c) immovable monuments of local significance (Selimiye
Mosque in Nicosia)
Pasargadae

Safranbolu
 Types of Immovable Properties-
Monuments and Site
• Monument:
A structure, such as a building or sculpture, erected as a memorial.
An inscribed marker placed at a grave; a tombstone.
Something venerated for its enduring historic significance or association
with a notable past person or thing: the architectural monuments of
ancient Rome; traditions that are monuments to an earlier era.
An object, such as a post or stone, fixed in the ground so as to mark a
boundary or position.
A written document, especially a legal one.

• Site
The place where a structure or group of structures was, is, or is to be
located: a good site for the school.
The place or setting of something: a historic site; a job site.

There are natural, rural, urban, historic, archeological and composite

sites.
 Types of Immovable Properties-
Sites
• Natural site: Sites which belong to the past civilizations and have unique
flora and fauna characteristics , Goreme Valley in Turkey , Karpaz
Peninsula in Cyprus.
• Historic Site: A compact group of building which by its hemogeneity as well
as its architectural and aesthetic unity, is itself of historic, archeological and
artistic interest (Group of religious buildings, historic center). Historic sites
also are important because they are the sites where important historical
evidences such as wars took place there such as Gelibolu Peninsula,
Canakkale Bogazi,
• Archeological Site: Sites which houses below and/or on the ground and
under the sea deposits of cultural material
• Urban Site: Site that have architectural unity, integrity with a group of
buildings and the area also reflect the socio-cultural and economic
structure and living style of its residents. Mardin, Safranbolu
• Rural Site: According to the size and pattern of the building structure,
construction material and technique of the buildings, the site is called as
village or rural site. In rural site farming is practiced.
• Composite Site: Sites that has at least two the site typology such as
Pamukkale, is an natural and archeological site because there is a
Archeological ruins of Hierapolis around it, Amasya city has natural and
urban site characteristics.
 Sedona
karpaz

Pamukkale
 Ancient city of Perge, close to
Antalya

Temple of Trajan in
Acropolis, Pergamum
Ancient Celcius Library in Ephesus
 Archeological sites from Iran

Iran: Burnt City

Harran university -Turkey

Mardin Sirince Turkey

Rural site
 Types of Movable Properties
• Movable cultural heritage is mainly considered as museum objects.
All types of movable cultural property whether it is a sculpture made
of metal, stone, or wood, a painting executed on canvass, wood,
paper, textile or wall, a piece of textile or a manuscript illustrated or
otherwise can be classified into two groups based on their genesis
namely.

• 1. Organic: Textiles, manuscripts, leather objects, parchment, bone,

wood, oil paintings, miniature paintings, paintings on textile and
wood, photographs are some of the examples of organic cultural
property. These objects are termed as organic because the
materials used for their creation are obtained from living things-
either plants or animals.

• 2. Inorganic: Metal sculpture and implements, stone sculptures and

monuments, ceramic objects and glass are considered inorganic in
nature as these are produced from the raw materials obtained from
the earth.
 Classification of movable monuments
• The classification of movable monuments is based on their typological,
functional, chronological or other features as well as their respective categories
of artistic, historical, scientific and spiritual significance;

• Types of movable monuments:

• a) A piece of Fine Arts created with any material and technique;
• b) A piece of decorative, applied art created with any material and any
technique;
• c) Objects connected with historical events or with the creative activities of
historical persons;
• d) Objects and/or parts of objects discovered during archaeological excavations
or in culture layers by chance;
• e) Cult objects made of any material and technique;
• f) Manuscripts, incunabula, civic and clerical documents, books, diplomas and
publications possessing historical, artistic and scientific interests;
• g) Documents of the National Archive, among them photo, phono, film and video
materials;
• h) Ethnographical objects;
• i) Pieces of unique furniture and musical instruments;
• j) Monuments connected with the development of science and technology;
• k) Other movable objects possessing historical, artistic, scientific and other
cultural significance. Among them architectural drawings of historical importance
and copies of the pieces of Fine Arts as well as objects of modern serial
production.
Queen Indian -miniature
Values of Cultural Properties
 Historic monument
• It is not only the single architectural work but
also the urban or rural setting in which is found
the evidence of a partcular civilization, significant
development or a historic event.

• Typology of Historic Monuments:

– Religious buildings
– Public civilian architecture, e.g.Palaces, town halls,
– Private civilian architecture, e.g. Vernacular
architecture, konaks,yalis,
– Agricultural and industrial architecture,e.g. Farms,
mills, bridges, tunnels.
 Torre de Belem (Belém Tower), Lisbon
Prehistoric monument

Colosseum, Italy
 Historic building
• It is one that gives us a sense of
wonder and make us want to
know more about people and
culture that produced it.
• It has architectural, aesthetic,
historic,
documentary,archeological,eco
nomic, social and political and
symbolic values;
• It is a symbol of our cultural
identity and continuity.
• It is a part of our cultural
heritage.
• Historic building has artictic and
human messages which will be
established by a study of its
history.
Safranbolu, Turkey

Arabahmet, Nicosia
 Conservation

• It is the action taken to prevent decay.

• It embraces all acts that prolong the life of our cultural and natural
heritage.
• In conservation, the minimum action is always the best.
• The basis of historic building conservation is established by
legislation through listing and scheduling buildings and ruins,
through regular inspections and documentation, through town
planning and conservation action.
• The scope of conservation of built environment which consist mainly
historic buildings, ranges from town planning to the preservation or
consolidation of crumbling (small piece of) artefact.
• The required skills cover wide range, including, town planner,
landcsape architect, conservation architect, enginners of several
specialization, quantity surveyor, building contractor, archeologist,
craftmans related to each material, art historian, chemists,physican,
geologist, seismologist and bioilogist.
 Preservation
• The maintenance of the artifact in its
current physical condition. Nothing is
added to or subracted from the aesthetic
corbus of the artifact.
• It deals directly with cultural property.
• Repairs must be carried out when
necessary to prevent the further decay.
 Restoration
• The process of returning the artifact to the physical
condition in which it would have been at some previous
stage of its morphological development.
• The object of restoration is to revive the original concept
or legibility of the object.
• Restoration and reintegration of the details and features
is based on respect of the original materials,
archeological evidence, original design and authentic
documents.
• Replacement of missing or decay parts must integrate
harmonusly with the whole.
• Any later additions that can be considered as historic
documents must be preserved during restoration.
 Consolidation

• It is the physical addition or application of

adhesive or supportive materials into the
actual fabric of cultural property.
• No historical evidence should be
destroyed.
• The utilization of traditional skills and
materials is of essential importance.
 Damage
• The term damage is used to describe a situation in
which a structure has lost some or all of its bearing
capacity, a condition that can lead to failure and
collapse.

• Damage is usually marked by cracks, crushing,

crumbling, breaking away of elements, permanent
deformation, out-of-plumbness, etc.
 Deterioration
• Deterioration is an alteration of the
material that usually leads to a reduction in
resistance, increased brittleness, porosity
and a loss of material that usually begins
from the outside and works inward; it is
mainly related to physical or chemical
actions.