Passive Fire Protection for Immovable Cultural Property: The Case of Istanbul

Abstract

Fires had an important effect on the evolution of the cities. After wide-scale fires, the precautionary effort progressed because of the financial and emotional damage done to the cities and residents. The historical progress of Istanbul has been frequently exposed wide-spreading fires which also caused significant losses of life and property. Fires, which are particularly influenced Ottoman towns, contain attached and usually wooden housing. When building the city, fire safety regulations came into force in the final period of the Ottoman Empire, and solutions for passive fire protection were examined. Questions arose about the immovable cultural property to be protected. This study benefits from previously prepared and published index studies. These effects, which were reviewed only at a surrounding and building scale, and revealed in detail the base and aimed to explain their roles in architectural formation based on the defined criteria. All these detailed solutions are marks of an era and they need to be protected during repair work. This study systematically examines Istanbul's wide-scaled fires and innovative passive fire protection strategies. The study aims to create knowledge about the relevant eras during restoration and renewal stages of immovable cultural property, to be protected.