Estimation of structural dynamic characteristics of the Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosius

Obelisks are historical monuments. There are several obelisks dating from ancient Egyptian period, located around various parts of the world. The city of Istanbul is a home to the Obelisk of Theodosius at the Hippodrome. Due to the expectation of a large event in the near future, the evaluation of seismic response of the Obelisk gets importance. Therefore, in this study structural dynamic behavior of the Obelisk was investigated using discrete element approach. Nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed using real and synthetic time series. Real and synthetic ground motions analyzed from this study seems consistent with the earthquake hazard levels that would be expected at the site of the Obelisk in the occurrence of an event of moment magnitude above 7.0 near Istanbul. Results are evaluated in terms of variation of displacement, relative displacement of adjacent blocks, normal stress and shear stress in time.