Damage assessment of regional cultural heritage assets following the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-Türkiye Earthquakes: Habib-i Neccar mosque with numerical validation

• February 6th, 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquakes in Türkiye was investigated. • Field observations were performed on cultural heritage assets. • Finite element analyses based numerical simulations is conducted to validate the field observation. Protection of the cultural heritage not only keeps the memory of the past alive, but also contributes to the strengthening of national identity and social ties. Cultural heritage requires significant efforts at national and international levels to protect and transfer it to future generations. However, one of the biggest obstacles to the protection of these cultural heritage assets is earthquakes. As a matter of fact, the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquakes that occurred 9 h apart on the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line and called the "Disaster of the Century", are an example of this situation. Two devastating and shallow earthquakes of magnitude Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6 occurred, with the epicenter in the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş, respectively. While the aftershock activity of the earthquakes continued, another "triggered" earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 6.4 occurred in Yayladağ - Hatay on February 20, 2023. This study includes the evaluation of damage status of cultural heritage assets in the region affected by these earthquakes and discusses the diversity and need for protection of this heritage from a scientific perspective based on a case study. For this aim, Habib-i Neccar Mosque in Hatay (Antakya), which is the first mosque in Anatolia, was considered as a case study. Finite element model of the Habib-i Neccar Mosque was constituted, and nonlinear time history analysis was performed. In this context, these methods provide a unique case specific assessment for cultural heritage structures after significant seismic events. The validity and accuracy of the damage caused indicated by numerical results and field observations were discussed. The numerical analysis reproduced key damage features observed in the field. However, beyond matching observed damage, the numerical model provided additional insights that were not directly observable in the field and caused the damages.