Sustainable cultural heritage in Cyprus: grave monuments of the Ottoman period with their architectural characteristics

The Ottoman period, in the history of Cyprus, has left its mark on the historical texture of the island with many religious, civil, and military architectural works. Among these works, grave monuments constitute an important place. The grave monuments from the Ottoman Period in Cyprus were chosen as the subject of our research with the aim to identify their architectural features, reveal their common characteristics, and emphasize the significance of their continued existence. Upon conducting this study through a qualitative research method based on literature review and field study, it elaborates the concept on mausoleum in the Conceptual Foundations section, information tombs in Turkish Islamic Architecture and Ottoman period tombs in Cyprus. Afterward, the architectural characteristics of 23 Ottoman mausoleums in Cyprus were comparatively analyzed under the headings of location, construction date, plan and mass form, material, covering system, facade, and ornamentation. The Evaluation and Conclusion section reflects and emphasizes the common architectural characteristics of the Ottoman period mausoleums, mostly built as part of a complex, built with stone material, square plan, cubic body, few baldachins, dome covered, and plain facades and the importance of their preservation and transfer to the future for the sustainability of the cultural heritage in Cyprus.