Rural Carob Warehouses in Cyprus: an Assessment of Architectural and Structural Characteristics

Abstract

Carob warehouses in the rural areas of Cyprus constitute one of the rare examples of traditional industrial building types that are evidence of a vanishing tradition of agricultural, social and economic life. These warehouses were built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and used as part of the carob production and export industry that showed a drastic decline after 1960 and virtually vanished in the following decade, resulting in the dereliction of the warehouses. Today, very few of them are in good condition, some have disappeared, and many are left with major structural damage or have been partially destroyed. In order to contribute to their protection and to add to the existing literature on industrial buildings in rural areas, the present work aims to examine the architectural and structural characteristics of rural carob warehouses in Cyprus. The assessments are based on a model formed through observations noted during the field survey in the northern section of the island where 15 carob warehouses are located mainly on the coast. The model of architectural and structural features of the warehouses includes the recording of alterations, material deterioration and structural damage. The study concludes with an overall approach for the restoration and consolidation of the warehouses employing techniques that follow the principles of international charters. Suggestions are given for promoting the potential of these heritage assets and enabling assessment of their general reuse potentials. It is found that among the 15 existing warehouses three of them have already been restored and the other 12 require restoration.