Performance Pathology of Historic Adobe Structures and Their Methods of Retrofitting

Iran is a land of seven thousand years old civilization, one of the oldest civilizations of the ancient world, because of its rich cultural and artistic history, there are many monuments, most of which are in high seismic danger areas. Bam Citadel was built in the 5th century BC and covers an area of 180,000 square meters was located on the Silk Road, one of the world's largest adobe structures. The superstructure and valuable damaged during the earthquake and unfortunately it was destroyed more than 80 percent. In other words, one of the lessons that can be learned from the Bam earthquake is that the historic adobe structures are extremely vulnerable. Therefore, due to its rich history and rich artistic heritage including architecture, masonry and pottery, the need to preserve remains of the past is felt more and more. In this article, after highlighting the importance and necessity of preserving historic adobe structures, their architectural features are discussed. The next step will be discussed the seismic performance of historic adobe structures and methods of the seismic retrofit and restoration of them investigated. Finally, studies on the retrofitting and restoration of adobe structures will be reviewed.