Concerns have arisen for ancient sites after two earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on Monday.
Thousands of fatalities have now been reported in Turkey and Syria due to the powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, which shook areas as far as Lebanon and Israel. The epicenter of the quake, which had a depth of 24.1 km (14.9 mi), was located 23 km (14.2 mi) east of Nurdagi in south-central Turkey’s Gaziantep province, according to the United States Geological Survey ( USGS).
Putting this earthquake into perspective, if it was only 0.2 magnitude points stronger it would have registered over 8, making it a “ megathrust earthquake .”
The area most affected encompasses some of the world’s most historic and culturally significant structures, and a report in Daily Sabah reveals how the seismic activity damaged walls at Gaziantep Castle, the dome of the Şerefeli Camii, while AFP also reports on the to the west gate and citadel structures of Aleppo’s old city.
Walls and towers of Gaziantep Castle before the damage (ToprakM/ CC BY-SA 4.0 )
The ‘Architect Of Castles’ Greatest Test
Located in the Seferpasa area, Gaziantep Castle is built on a hill at the center of Gaziantep and it ranks as one of Turkey’s best-preserved ancient stone citadels. From as early as 2,000 BC Hittite soldiers used this raised location as an observation point, but the original stone castle was constructed by the Romans in the second and third centuries. During the reign of the Byzantine emperor, Justinian I…
