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Highlights:Graphical/Tabular Abstract  Construction techniques of Hellenistic Towers  Quasi-static tilt analysis of dry masonry towers  Effect of wall profiles and opening organizations on wall behavior under lateral loading Figure A. Hypothetical process designed for the determination of the behavior of ancient dry masonry towersPurpose: The aim of the study is to determine the structural and morphological characteristics affecting the structural resistance of ancient dry masonry towers. Theory and Methods:The methodology is composed of three phases; data gathering about wall profile and opening organization of ancient dry masonry towers, design of hypothetic towers by using gathered data, determination of the behavior of the hypothetic towers. Six wall profile types and fifteen opening organizations were documented from the dry masonry towers in Caria, Pamphylia and Cilicia Regions, Turkey. 90 hypothetic towers, designed with combination of the characteristics types, were modelled as individual rigid blocks brought together without any connecting element in SketchUp 2013. MSPhysics 0.9.9 software was used for the simulation of quasistatic tilt analysis. Preliminary analyses have been carried out to test the validity of the MS Physics software. Results:Collapse angles of hypothetic towers varied between 8 and 18 degrees. Four different failure mechanisms were determined; out-of-plane, in-plane, hybrid and body failure. Each wall profile presented a typical failure mechanism. Double layered wall profile 6, supported with header stones and high staggering ratios, collapsed at the highest angles (18°) and presented total overturning, while the wall profile 1, that collapsed at the lowest angle (8-11°), presented hybrid mechanism composed of in-plane and out-of-plane failures. Wall profiles with less effective openings (small or medium sized) sustained their typical failure mechanisms, however large sized, or more than 2 openings or openings adjacent to corner caused in-plane and out-of-plane failure mechanisms when they were at in-plane and out-of-plane position respectively at weaker wall profiles (1-3, 5). The strongest wall profile 6 was only affected by large sized opening type (11). Conclusion:Usage of large sized stone blocks (length ≥ 200 cm, depth ≥ 75 cm), high staggering ratio (s/h ≥ 1.8) and header stones not adjacent to each other increased resistance and provided body or in-plane behavior. The effect of openings changed depending on the characteristics of wall profile types. Double layered walls supported with header stones were not affected by asymmetrical openings or more than two upper openings, and sustained body behavior. Large sized openings (≥180x300 cm) were effective for all wall profile types. H I G H L I G H T S  Properties of construction techniques of Hellenistic towers Quasi-static tilt analysis of dry masonry towers  Effect of wall profiles and opening arrangements on wall behavior related lateral loading Article Info ABSTRACT Research ArticleDry masonry wall profiles constructed w...

The study aims to document the settlement, spatial, constructional, and cultural characteristics of Kırklareli rural area to reveal the variations of the region. In addition, the region is a hybrid location with elements from both the Black Sea and inner Anatolia. So, the characteristics of the region are compared with the Black Sea and inner Anatolia. The method of the study is composed of two phases, first, the effect of environmental features such as natural environment, topography, climate, and the economic situation on settlement and plan and constructional characteristics and material usage of the houses in Kırklareli were documented. Second, the Thrace region's rural characteristics were compared to those of the Black Sea and inner Anatolia. As a result, the natural environment, geography, climate, and culture all had a role in the formation of rural settlements and houses. (1) Topographical features influenced daily living and agricultural productivity, resulting in changes in settlement structures. (2) The differences in plan characteristics of rural dwellings were mostly influenced by regional climate conditions. The presence, form, and size of common places and open spaces varied based on climate conditions. (3) Local materials used in house construction were influenced by landforms and the natural environment. It has been observed that house construction strategies have altered as a result of the most widely accessible material from the surroundings. (4) Even though there were physical variances between houses due to topographical changes in the area, Turkish people's nomadic culture and Islamic beliefs provided certain similar elements in the houses, such as introversion and privacy. Thrace Rural area contains different settlement, spatial and constructional characteristics due to the differences in its geography. Many rural homes have been abandoned, and there is a risk of becoming lost. Therefore, documentation of authentic characteristics of the rural houses and sites considering environmental features will provide a base for the sustainability of original rural houses and areas.

First, I would like to express my special gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc. Prof.Dr. Mine Hamamcıoğlu Turan for her scientific support, guidance and incredible patience throughout my thesis. Special thanks go to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Engin Aktaş for his scientific support and guidance during my thesis. He supported the thesis like a supervisor. This thesis could not be completed without moral and technical support of my supervisor;

PurposeThe study aims to analyze both thermal and wind comfort conditions of a historical mosque's interior and outdoor spaces for the planning of further conservation decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe method is composed of two steps. First, thermal comfort analyses are conducted via Design-Builder Software. The predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percentage of dissatisfied indices were calculated and evaluated using the ASHRAE 55–2010 standard. Thermal comfort conditions are analyzed with the proposed three operations. Second, wind comfort analyses are conducted via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Outdoor thermal comfort conditions are predicted by air temperature, mean radiant temperature, wind speed and relative humidity.FindingsThe (PMV) in the harim was calculated as −1.83 (cool) which corresponds to a predicted percentage of dissatisfaction (PPD) equal to 68.54%. Thermal comfort was provided by daytime and continuous operations; however, intermittent operations did not provide thermal comfort. The wind velocities around the mosque are well below the 5 m/s limit value for standing defined by NEN 8100 wind nuisance standard. Moreover, the limit value of 2.5 m/s for sitting was also satisfied with more than 80% of the semi-enclosed area around the entrance of the mosque. Last comer's hall remains in a slight cold stress range, the rest of the areas have no thermal stress.Originality/valueThis two-stage study creates a base for further improvements to provide comfort conditions in a historical building without interfering with its original features.