Protection of Cultural Heritage Buildings from Earthquakes in Disaster Management

Disasters that cause social and economic losses are generally divided into five categories: geological, climatic, biological, social, and technological. Among these, earthquakes are classified as geological disasters since they occur as a result of sudden energy release in the earth’s crust, leading to fractures and destructive impacts. If no precautions are taken, earthquakes may cause significant losses. Therefore, comprehensive disaster management practices are essential. Within this framework, preventive actions such as damage reduction, early warning, forecasting, and preparedness are examined under the “Risk Management” process, whereas intervention, rescue, impact assessment, and reconstruction are considered as part of “Crisis Management”. Cultural heritage structures, which represent a society’s history, spirituality, artistic, and scientific values, are of great importance for transmitting urban memory to future generations. However, earthquakes pose a serious risk to the sustainability of these structures. Thus, disaster management for cultural heritage requires specific approaches that differ from other structures, including tailored risk assessment, hazard analysis, and crisis management strategies. Within the scope of this research, a disaster management map was developed to support the protection of cultural heritage against earthquakes, and the related risk and crisis management interventions were outlined.