Enhancing the Seismic Resilience of Historical Masonry Cupolas: A Finite Element Study on Cimcime Hatun Cupola

Abstract

This study investigates the seismic performance and strengthening of the historic Cimcime Hatun Cupola, a representative example of Turkish-Islamic masonry heritage. A detailed finite element (FE) model was developed using material parameters derived from established design codes and literature. Nonlinear time-history and pushover analyses were conducted to assess structural behavior under seismic loading and evaluate a proposed internal steel plate retrofit system. The reinforcement increased the first modal frequency by 2.2 times and improved lateral load capacity by 3.375 times, demonstrating substantial gains in global stiffness and stability. The retrofit strategy, designed to be reversible and minimally intrusive, offers a practical and conservation-compatible solution for similar mausoleum-type structures. The findings contribute to advancing heritage engineering practices by providing a validated numerical approach and a case-specific strengthening methodology applicable to other historical masonry monuments.