The Sourp Magar Monastery, a medieval monument located in the Kyrenia Mountain range in Cyprus, is the main focus of innovative research undertaken at APAC Labs. Graduate Research Assistant Mehmetcan Soyluoglu recently defended his PhD thesis, “Tracing Heritage on the Kyrenia Mountains, Cyprus: Landscape, Architecture and Tree-rings at Sourp Magar Monastery”, which provided the first comprehensive study of the site, locating it within the wider cultural landscape of the Kyrenia mountains and the shifting currents of Byzantine, Coptic, and Armenian heritage. As the first study to systematically apply dendroarchaeology to a monumental architectural complex in Cyprus, this project offers a framework for interpreting the transition of the monastery from a Coptic foundation to an Armenian institution, situating this transformation within the broader social and political history of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, combining digital documentation, dendroarchaeology, and historiographical critique that can inform future research and restoration efforts.
APAC Labs researchers Mehmetcan Soyluoglu, Rahaf Orabi, Sorin Hermon, and Nikolas Bakirtzis also recently published a new paper titled: “Digitizing Challenging Heritage Sites with the Use of iPhone LiDAR and Photogrammetry: The Case-Study of Sourp Magar Monastery in Cyprus”. This paper explores innovative, low-cost digital solutions — like smartphone LiDAR and aerial photogrammetry — that make rapid 3D documentation possible even without expensive equipment. The study presents a real-world case: the Sourp Magar Monastery in Cyprus, a medieval site in the Kyrenia Range that has long suffered from anthropogenic and environmental issues and is in danger of natural hazards like forest fires and erosion. The research highlights how accessible tools can empower heritage professionals to act quickly and effectively, even in challenging conditions.
Read the paper here.
