Imitative Architecture and Cultural Sustainability: A Quantitative Analysis of Seljuk Heritage Representation in Contemporary Turkish Buildings

In contemporary building design, historical environments and buildings serve as important references for interpreting architectural materials, colors, proportions, construction methods, and facade elements. Imitative architecture reproduces or reinterprets recognizable characteristics of historical styles, often through decorative and non-functional facade elements. In recent years, an increasing number of buildings in Turkey have incorporated references to Anatolian Seljuk architecture, an important component of the country’s architectural heritage. However, the selective reproduction of historical elements raises questions regarding architectural identity, cultural continuity, and cultural sustainability. Within this context, this study aims to quantitatively examine the extent to which contemporary buildings referencing Anatolian Seljuk architecture reflect characteristic Seljuk facade elements and to discuss the implications for cultural continuity and cultural sustainability. The facades of 15 contemporary buildings in Turkey, selected based on expert opinions, were comparatively evaluated according to predefined Seljuk architectural elements using SIMPER, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), K-means clustering, Correspondence Analysis, and Network Plot analyses. The results indicate that the buildings generally reproduce selected Seljuk elements in a fragmented and selective manner rather than reflecting the Seljuk architectural language as a coherent whole. Door forms, arches, columns, and stone materials were more frequently represented, whereas historically distinctive elements such as Kufic ornamentation, brick, tile, and geometric ornamentation were largely absent or rarely used. These findings indicate that contemporary imitative buildings emphasize recognizable visual references while providing limited evidence of broader architectural continuity. From a cultural sustainability perspective, such selective representation may support the visual recognition of historical heritage while simultaneously reducing its complex architectural language to a limited set of recognizable facade elements. The study demonstrates that quantitative and multivariate analyses provide a systematic basis for evaluating the representation and continuity of historical architectural heritage in contemporary buildings.