Sumela Monastery restoration and rock reconstruction works

A case study by the Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism showcases the wide-ranging intervention at the Sümela Monastery, going from restoration of the buildings and infrastructures to a rock stabilisation operation. Sümela Monastery, which is included in UNESCO’s temporary list of World Heritage sites, is of great importance in terms of cultural heritage. The monastery has entered a holistic restoration process since 2013 after natural disasters, structural deformations and human destruction. In order to ensure the structural continuity of the monastery, to preserve the memory of its architectural features and not to be affected by the negative effects of nature, the restoration process was completed by ensuring rock stabilisation with minimal restoration intervention.