Investigation of structural problems on the ground and walls of Diyarbakir HistoricalBehram Pasha Mosque by the georadar (GPR) method

Abstract

Behram Pasha Mosque is one of the historical mosques, which is the work of Mimar Sinan [1], located inthe southwest of Diyarbakır’s Suriçi Region. Georadar (GPR) method is one of the geophysical applications in which possible gaps, fractures, collapses,etc. damages are determined non-destructively on the walls and floors of historical buildings. Therefore, in one of the historic mosques in Diyarbakir Behram Pasha Mosque, expert geophysicalengineers carried out the GPR scanning of the grounds and walls without damaging the mosque’s physicalstructure. In GPR surveys, the depth of investigation (penetration) was chosen as 20 m on the ground and 4 m on thewall. It is aimed to show the anomaly structures in the study area and its immediate surroundings due tothe determination of the underground void structures and the continuity of the surface fractures at theresearch depth. In GPR studies, it has been determined that there are cracks and fractures on the walls of the mosque, ofwhich the smallest was 12 cm and the largest was 40 cm, water leakage on the ground, deterioration dueto corrosion, and partial collapses. The regions with the detected deformations are marked on the radarsections. The study was completed with the thought that the determined structural problems will contribute to therestoration and strengthening works to be done in the future in the mosque as an up-to-date guide.