Investigation of the Deterioration Types Observed at the Aslanlı Tomb in the Phrygian Valley

Abstract

Immovable cultural heritages, which are historical documents, were generally built with stone materials in order to be passed on to future generations. The monuments, in which stone material is used, were made of building stone in a masonry work system or by carving into the rocks. Low-strength rock types were generally used in historical buildings, built for functions such as worship, defense, and tombs carved into the rocks. As these rocks are easily affected by atmospheric processes such as freeze-thaw, wetting-drying, and salt crystallization, the types of deterioration in historical buildings develop rapidly and this can cause many problems in monuments from textural features to integrity. In this study, Aslanlı tomb, which is located in the Phrygian valley and where atmospheric effects are widely observed, was examined. The material properties of this monument, which was carved into the pyroclastic rock, were investigated by laboratory tests, and the deterioration types were macroscopically determined in the field. It was determined that the deterioration types in the monument ranged from millimeter scale to meter scale. It is thought that the results obtained from the study, together with defining the engineering properties of the pyroclastic rock in the region, will form an important base for the conservation and restoration planning of the Phrygian valley.