Better conservation of cultural heritage Researchers have improved ways to conserve historic monuments, contributing to advances in conservation science by reinforcing capacity and network building. Climate Change and Environment © multitel, Shutterstock In recent years there has been a growing need for laboratories that specialise in the field of conservation of cultural heritage. This is evident in that cultural heritage conservation has been inadequate and has resulted in irreversible damage to historic structures. Through the development of research centres for regional needs and the sharing of experiences via networks and collaborative studies, standards can be established in the field of conservation. In Turkey, a well-established research laboratory devoted to the conservation of historic monuments had not been established. Middle East Technical University’s (METU) Materials Conservation Laboratory (MCL) worked to help remedy this situation. The EU-funded project MONUMENTSLAB (Improvement of METU-research laboratory for the conservation of historic monuments) helped to improve MCL’s research capacity. The focus was on two main fields. One involved research capacity in non-destructive analyses of historic monuments. The other covered research capacity in microstructural analyses of historic building materials through the supply of equipment and training of conservation scientists. Trainings were conducted on the major equipment in the laboratory and in the field with different pilot training projects. A workshop was organised in which members from local authorities and stakeholders collaborated to discuss the subjects presented as well as the improvement of public awareness and ethics of conservation. A second workshop was held and the researchers presented their training activities related to microstructural analyses and non-destructive analyses. This afforded an opportunity to discuss the data they obtained in the lab and in the field with their strategic partners. A dissemination workshop was organised for the broader public. Participants included people from government institutions, universities and NGOs related to conservation of historic monuments in Turkey as well as experienced researchers. Scientific publications and several scientific reports were submitted to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Keywords Conservation, cultural heritage, historic monuments, Materials Conservation Laboratory, MONUMENTSLAB
