08.01.2026 18:42
It was announced that the historic Congress building in Erzurum has been temporarily closed to visitors after analyses revealed that its earthquake performance is inadequate. It was emphasized that the building is heavily damaged and poses a risk of collapse in the event of possible earthquakes. Experts who examined the building stated, "We analyzed that in the event of the earthquakes we studied, the entire structure would collapse approximately 6 seconds after the main seismic wave arrives," highlighting the seriousness of the situation.
As a result of the analyses, it was reported that the historical Erzurum Congress building, temporarily closed to visitors due to insufficient earthquake performance, could collapse in a severe earthquake.
Ahmet Yer, the Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, made a statement to the press after the Public Order and Security Evaluation Meeting at the Provincial Gendarmerie Command regarding the congress building.
HISTORICAL CONGRESS BUILDING HEAVILY DAMAGED
Yer explained that the building was restored between 2011-2014, stating, "Cracks were detected in our building at the beginning of 2025, and as the cracks increased, we reported the situation to the Restoration Directorate. They came and conducted a technical examination of our building. After the examination, it was understood that there were some issues in the building, and the situation was reported to our ministry."
Yer also expressed that an on-site inspection was conducted by the General Directorate of Fine Arts, saying, "A budget was allocated for the structural examination of the building. Our Restoration Directorate put the project out to tender, and the work was undertaken by ETU. We signed the contract with ETU on August 1, 2025, and handed over the site on August 5. Subsequently, the ETU team conducted a structural examination of the building, and on December 22, they presented us with the preliminary inspection report, which indicated that our building was heavily damaged and had insufficient seismic performance.
ETU recommended that our building be urgently closed to visitors and evacuated for the safety of life and property. We took the necessary precautions through our ministry and obtained the approval of our governor for the closure of our building to visitors. Tomorrow, a technical team from our ministry will conduct an inspection of our building."
"DEFORMATION DUE TO GROUND MOVEMENT WAS OBSERVED"
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dilek Okuyucu from the Civil Engineering Department of Erzurum Technical University (ETU) stated that the requested studies and evaluations included analyses at world standards and that the number of universities capable of conducting such analyses was limited.
Okuyucu emphasized that the structure is among the most visited places in the city, stating, "As of August 2025, we conducted a very comprehensive on-site examination of the structure. In the visuals before restoration, ground settlement and deformation due to ground movement were observed at the western end of the structure."
"WE DETERMINED THAT THE STRUCTURE WOULD COLLAPSE 6 SECONDS AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE"
Pointing out that very large cracks have formed in the main load-bearing walls in the basement of the building, Okuyucu made the following evaluations: "There were cracks starting from the points where the reinforced concrete slab sits on the main load-bearing walls. Changes made to the floor covering during the 2011-2013 restoration increased the load on the building's slab by 4.5 times. We assessed that the earthquake performance of the structure is insufficient. We placed accelerometer sensors that record vibrations at certain points in the structure, taking measurements from approximately 90 points. We demonstrated how the structure would move in the event of a possible earthquake. We selected the Bingöl, 1992 Erzincan, and Elazığ Sivrice earthquakes. The building is located at a close distance to fault lines with a high potential for generating earthquakes in Erzurum, and we incorporated these into our analyses. We analyzed that if the earthquakes we studied occur, the building would completely collapse approximately 6 seconds after the main seismic wave arrives."