A multidisciplinary study to reveal the historical value of wooden structures and to develop a conservation approach: Dere and Karlı Mosques in Samsun, Turkey

Wood is one of the oldest traditional construction materials used for religious and civil architecture in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Samsun, located in the central Black Sea Region, has qualified examples of wooden mosques in rural areas. In the scope of this paper, two wooden mosques (Dere and Karlı), located in rural areas of Kavak district (Samsun), were studied in detail with an interdisciplinary study. We aimed to emphasize the historical value of both mosques by determining their building dates, defining their conservation problems and offering proper conservation approach principles. While the Dere Mosque was registered as immovable cultural heritage by Samsun Regional Council of Conservation, Karlı Mosque has not yet been registered. However, both mosques have similar conservation problems, caused particularly by improper management such as unqualified interventions, abandonment, neglect and fire risk. For the sustainability of wooden religious heritage, it is important to reveal the historical value of the mosques and to develop detailed conservation proposals. We believe that this research will guide the quality refurbishment of wooden structures with similar conservation problems in the region and stimulate the protection of wooden heritage.