Earthquake in Turkey: the shocking collapse of a historic castle after the earthquake

The world continues to be shocked by the powerful earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria.

So far, the tremors have left a tragic balance of at least

.

But in addition to the tremendous human drama that these natural phenomena generated, their

were also felt on the invaluable

of both countries.

And a clear example of this is the

, an ancient fortress almost

, located in the heart of the city closest to the epicenter of the earthquakes, in the southeast of the country, local media reported.

Gaziantep Castle was built by the Hittite Empire.

Photo: Karpidis/Wikipedia

Earthquake in Turkey: the story of the Gaziantep castle

was

originally built by the

as an observation point atop a hill bearing the same name.

Later, it was considerably enlarged in the days of

The castle stands out, among other things, for its

and its

.

At one time, moreover, it was surrounded by a

.

As reported by Turkish Museums, the official site of local museums, according to the archaeological excavations carried out, the castle was first built as

in Roman times in the

and over the years it expanded .

. 

But it was during the rule of

, the Byzantine emperor (527-565 AD), that it took its present form. 

In recent times, the castle was the home of

.

For

this reason, in addition to its important value for Turkish history, the place is one of the meccas of

and has become a great attraction for foreign visitors.

Earthquake in Turkey: the collapse of the Gaziantep castle

Unfortunately, during the early hours of Monday, February 6,

during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred at the site. 

"Some of the

in the eastern, southern and southeastern parts of the historic Gaziantep castle, in the central Şahinbey district, were destroyed by the earthquake, rubble scattered on the road," reported

, the Turkish state news agency. . 

And they detailed: "The iron bars around the castle were scattered along the surrounding paths. The retaining wall next to the castle also collapsed. Large cracks were observed in some bastions."

more destruction

Other places recognized as

by UNESCO were also damaged by the quake, the UN agency for Education, Science and Culture reported.

In addition to the

(in northern Syria), included in the world heritage in danger, and in the

(in southern Turkey), Unesco warned that other places not far from the epicenter could have been affected.

The Diyarbakir fortress, one of the UNESCO protected sites that was affected by the earthquake.

Photo: UNESCO

"Our organization will provide assistance within the framework of its mandate," said Audrey Azoulay, the organization's director general.

In this sense, they have already begun to carry out a

by the earthquake, the text indicated.

The

, greatly affected by the four years of fighting between 2012 and 2016, is one of the points for which the organization is "particularly concerned", especially the citadel and the souks.

It also emphasizes in Turkey the "collapse of several buildings" of the

and the

, "an important center of the Roman, Sasanian, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman eras," Unesco indicates.

In addition, at least three other Turkish world heritage sites could be damaged: Göbekli Tepe, Nemrut Dag and the Tell of Arslantepe, they add, so the agency "will make an accurate inventory of the damage to quickly secure and stabilize these sites."

With information from Anadolu and AFP.

look also

Earthquake in Turkey: What is "triggering", the phenomenon that could have caused the second earthquake

Miracle during the earthquake in Turkey and Syria: the video of the baby who was born under the rubble