An Approach to Enhance the Validity of Qualitative Evaluations in Conservation Interventions of Historical MonumentsCase Study: Khajeh Atabak Tomb in Kerman

Evaluation of conservation interventions performed on historical monuments is the basis for exchanging experiences, modifying approaches in choosing intervention methods and preventing irreparable errors in their conservation. Due to the complexity of the evaluation process and the failure to provide strategies that can make the result reliable by enhancing the validity of this evaluation; in Iran, interventions are either not evaluated or often evaluated tastefully without a specific strategy.

This study aims to extract the factors affecting the reliability of the evaluations, which are carried out with the approach of determining the scientific validity of the interventions. moreover, it aims to achieving an approach to increase the validity of the evaluation process and the accuracy of the results and applying it to a case study for the proposed strategy test.

In this applied research, first, the factors affecting the reliability of evaluation using documentary studies and descriptive analysis have been extracted from conservation texts and Charters. Then, through qualitative analysis, logical and strategic reasoning methods were developed for evaluation. In order to evaluate the effect of the case study and to test the approach, The values of the object and the conservationist’s priorities and objectives at the time of the intervention were provided to local conservationists by a semi-structured in-depth interview. Finally, the results of the survey which was conducted using a questionnaire were qualitatively analyzed and presented.

The findings show that for qualitative evaluation of conservation interventions, an approach based on the principle of participatory understanding of the work, reference to the five principles of protection and promotion of evaluator’s awareness of the five principles and values of the object can be used. Also, the application of the resulting strategy on Khajeh Atabak tomb showed that the degree of validity and scientific reliability of the intervention in the conservation of stucco decoration is prior to the vault hooping.