RESUMO
On October 12, 1992, a moderate earthquake occurred near Dahshur, Egypt, located about 20 km south of Cairo. The intensity of ground shaking at historic districts of Cairo was VI to VII using the Modified Mercalli scale and 212 of 560 monuments in Cairo were reportedly gamaged although none destroyed. nineteen days aftyer the earthquake, a reconnaissance team began making observations at 29 select Coptic and Islamic monuments, 24 of which had incurred some of the most significant damage. The team consisted of five professionals in the fields of architecture, architectural engineering, mathematical modeling, structural engineering, and geotechnical engineering from the United Stetes, Italy, and Turkey, who also provided expertise in the areas of earthquake engineering and the preservation of historic monuments. Damage to historic monuments can be generally described as having resulted from the continuous degradation of foundation and structural masonry from environmental effects, especially groundwater, inadequate lateral structural resistance, and the subsequent imposition of light to moderate earthquake forces. Other large earthquakes have affected old monuments in Cairo, but the recent earthquake may have caused a disproportionate amount of damage because of wide-spread poor structural conditional. This study has provided specific examples of how monuments ranging from 80 to about 1500 years in age, in various conditions, respond to near-field motions from a moderate-magnitude earthquake and helps to define problems that research studies can solve. It also provides strong evidence that a preservation strategy be adopted for historic monuments in Cairo that embraces scientific and engineering knowledge to understand these monuments and propose the least invasive repair and retrofit procedures.(AU)