THE EVALUATION OF THE MORTARS IN THE HISTORICAL BUILDINGS IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE

Abstract

Mortars and plasters used in historical buildings provide important helpful information about the building technology of their historical period and they are as important as historical documents. Therefore, the evaluation analysis of the original mortar and plaster during the restoration should be made based on a scientific base. The work may require to include scholars with various professions such as art historians, restorators, physicians, chemists, biologists, engineers, and architects within the same team during the analysis process from time to time. However, method determination practices that shall be used in application on the subject matter have not been standardized. In addition, it is not possible to utilize all the experiments and the standards that check and control the quality of binding products and new materials applied to mortar and plaster analysis of historical buildings. The purpose of mortar and plaster analysis of historical buildings is not to make quality control of the material used, but to determine the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Therefore, it is required to provide the information that explains the current conditions of the material as well as the factors that have led to the formation of the current situation of the material used in the buildings. This work evaluates the material properties of some mortars used in historical buildings in the Ottoman Empire and supplies a guide for the determination of the construction techniques in the Ottoman Empire.