Seismic damage assessment of minarets: insights from the 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes, Türkiye

Abstract

Minarets, with their tall spires and intricate architectural designs, stand as iconic symbols of religious and cultural identity in many regions worldwide. Their slender profiles and unique structural characteristics make them particularly vulnerable to seismic forces during earthquakes. Türkiye, a country rich in history and culture, was struck by two devastating earthquakes of M7.7 and M7.6 on 6 February 2023. The epicenters were in the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş province. These earthquakes severely affected the city’s 11 districts, causing significant structural damage. Among the affected structures were the iconic symbols of the city’s architectural heritage, the minarets. This study investigates seismic damage to minarets incurred during the 2023 earthquakes, focusing specifically on the Four-Legged Minaret located in the province of Diyarbakır. For this purpose, modal and nonlinear time history analyses were performed on the historical Four-Legged Minaret. The analysis results indicate that the Pazarcık earthquake produced higher base shear forces and peak displacement values compared to the Elbistan earthquake. Stress concentrations were predominantly observed in the transition zone between the minaret’s base and cylindrical body. The damage patterns obtained from numerical simulations showed strong agreement with field observations. The study emphasizes the critical importance of using site-representative seismic inputs, and, at the same time, identifies vulnerable regions that should be prioritized in conservation and strengthening efforts for slender historical masonry structures.