The preservation problems of masonry houses in Baspinar rural settlement

Baspinar Village is a rural settlement in Kemaliye town of Erzincan province located in the East Anatolian Region of Turkey. The history of the village dates back to the 18th century. The traditional fabric of the houses comprises of stone masonry terraced constructions with three to four floors. Baspinar sits on a sloping geography; hence the buildings of the settlement are designed to harmonize with the regional topography. The masonry houses in Baspinar are quite different in terms of plan typology, facade design and construction techniques from those of Kemaliye town, located 38 km away from the village. The findings of the study are based on the evaluation of data collected from a field work of 25 days in July 2012. The fabric of the houses was physically analysed in terms of number of floors, building's use, building period, construction system and materials, authenticity and preservation state. 216 building inventory cards have been prepared to identify structural problems through external observation. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the main problems of Baspinar's masonry architectural fabric which are user's faults, unqualified restorations and deserted buildings. Moreover, some houses were divided into two or three independent houses because of ownership problems. Baspinar houses, which are not registered in national cultural heritage inventory list except the Baspinar Mosque, feature outstanding cultural landscape characteristics. First of all, the authentic masonry fabric of the settlement should be entirely preserved in a legal sense to solve the conservation problems. Furthermore, as part of sustainable conservation efforts, residents of the houses should avoid any interventions that may destroy the architectural authenticity of the houses, raising awareness on the use of available local materials and techniques.