Gelisim News

Asst. Prof. Dr. İlknur Türkoğlu, Cultural Heritage Management Expert from Istanbul Gelişim University, explained the precautions to be taken to protect historical artifacts from the expected big Istanbul earthquake. Saying that it is normal to expect 7 or more when looking at the earthquake history of Istanbul, Asst. Prof. Dr. Türkoğlu added: “There have been earthquakes since the Byzantine period and historical artifacts have also been damaged. It is written in historical documents that the dome of Hagia Sophia was demolished and damaged. It is the right decision to carry out disaster management studies in museums with the instruction of the Ministry of Interior.”

WE SHOULD TAKE PRECAUTIONS

Emphasizing the need to evaluate the consequences of the earthquake expected to happen in the near future and take measures, Asst. Prof. Dr. Türkoğlu said: “Istanbul is not a newly established city. Its history goes back 300 thousand years. One of the oldest and tiered cities in the world. Therefore, the preparation and protection of historical artifacts for possible earthquakes become more important.”

THERE ARE 3 STEPS TO PREPARE FOR EARTHQUAKE

Explaining the stages of preparing for an earthquake, Türkoğlu said: “First we need to study the inventory. So we should know where and what we have. Then we must prepare for the earthquake. Preparations consist of 3 stages: what to do before, during and after the earthquake.”

THINGS TO BE DONE

Asst. Prof. Dr. İlknur Türkoğlu added: “Before the earthquake, we need to exhibit the historical artifacts in museums, so we have to strengthen them. If there is an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5, will that work be able to withstand the shock? Or is the museum building robust against earthquakes? The places where the museum employees are located should be considered earthquake resistant. There may be a fire after an earthquake. Are the historical buildings intact? Will it be able to stand when an earthquake occurs? Similar studies need to be done.”

EXERCISES MUST BE DONE AT MUSEUMS

Referring to the importance of planning ahead, Türkoğlu said: “Exercises should be done in museums as if there was an earthquake. If there are visitors in the museum during the earthquake, we need to work on how to evacuate them smoothly. Direction signs and officials should be prepared. It should be predicted and planned in advance like a simulation.”

“WE MUST PROTECT HISTORICAL ARTICLES FROM LOOTING”

Reminding that 20 million people live in Istanbul, Türkoğlu said: “It's much bigger than before. If there are an earthquake with magnitude more than 7, a chaotic process may occur. Security systems will be stopped. In such a moment, we must protect the ancient artifacts in museums from theft and looting. Measures must be taken for these. The security of museum storages must be ensured, and it is necessary to check it now. The officials at the museum will also worry about the safety of their families at that time. Interdisciplinary work should be done to plan all these and take measures.”

“WORKSHOPS NEED TO BE UPDATED”

Asst. Prof. Dr. İlknur Türkoğlu concluded her words with the following: “IMM held an earthquake workshop in 2007, but 13 years have passed since. 21 years have passed since the 1999 earthquake. It is always useful to update the workshops. Workshops should be held according to the new conditions. Thanks to the technology, information can be obtained in advance how the buildings will react in an earthquake that will be over 7. We need to protect historical artifacts before they collapse because there are centuries of experience in those walls and objects. It is not possible to reconstruct the works after they are destroyed. You are making a copy of the work. That's why we need to talk and find ways to protect each historical monument of Istanbul against earthquakes and other disasters.”