The Concept of Authenticity in Restoration Analysis of Monitoring and Restoration in the Authenticity Preservation of Cultural Heritage

It has been acknowledged that non-physical forms have a prominent role in the creating and maintenance of architectural heritage; therefore, it is vital to recognize these forms. Today, much attention has been focused on architectural topics such as sustainable architecture and utilizing passive energy. This has resulted in extensive developments in that field. However, the importance of concepts and values with crucial roles in representing the authenticity of a heritage should also be a matter of concern. Investigating these concepts could reveal a great deal about the vital role of non-physical form aspects of originality. Moreover, regarding the values, the subject of authenticity is the main emphasis of the global community in maintenance and restoration of historical places that can be interpreted according to different times, locations, conditions, and specifications. In order to achieve this goal, Athens Charter in 1931 started an international movement to prepare the required international documents. Subsequently, the International Center for Study, Care, and Restoration of Cultural Assets was founded by UNESCO. Later, in a statement that became known as Venice Charter, the Second International Congress of Architects and Specialists of Historic Buildings in 1964 determined the required solutions for restoration of historic monuments and sites. Nara Document on Authenticity (1994) introduced a widely accepted concept of the authenticity to the community of architects. The diversity and locality of values in the other charters with spiritual, cultural, social, economic, aesthetic, historical or scientific nature have also been considered (Bora 1996; St. Antonio 1996, the Charter of the architectural heritage of Europe Congress of Amsterdam 1975). On one hand, the former documents investigate the role of monitoring and controlling, and the preservation of cultural heritage’s treatment on the other hand. Some criteria are introduced in this study for both monitoring and the restoration of cultural heritage. Then, by separating qualitative and quantitative variables and weighting the criteria, the impacts of these two factors are examined for further discussion of the results.