The earthquake-damaged buildings in Turkey have been damaged by quakes and aftershocks for more than 6,000 years: warnings from Istanbul and Syria

Deaths in earthquakes are often caused by falling bricks and masonry. The US Geological Survey found that many people in Turkey who lived in structures with un-reinforced brick masonry and low-rise concrete frames, were most likely to be damaged by the earthquake.

Researchers say people need to brace themselves for yet more quakes and aftershocks, as well as deteriorating weather. “The possibility for major aftershocks causing even more damage will continue for weeks and months,” says Ilan Kelman, who studies disasters and health at University College London.

The North Anatolian Fault and the East Anatolian Fault are two large fault lines that lie on the Anatolian plate. David Rothery says that the plate that carries Arabia is moving northwards and squeezing Turkey out towards the west. “Turkey is moving west about 2 centimetres per year along the East Anatolian Fault,” he adds. Half the length of this fault has collapsed because of earthquakes.

Seyhun Puskulcu, a seismologist and coordinator of the Turkish Earthquake Foundation, based in Istanbul, says people in Turkey are well aware of their vulnerability to earthquakes. Puskulcu, who last week was touring the cities of Adana and Tarsus and Mersin in western Turkey, delivered workshops on earthquake awareness, says that this was not a surprise.

In a study1 published last March in Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Arzu Arslan Kelam at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, and her colleagues suggested that the centre of the city of Gaziantep would experience medium-to-severe damage from a magnitude-6.5 earthquake. This is because most existing buildings are low-rise brick structures that are constructed very close to each other.

Things are worse in Syria, where more than 11 years of conflict have made building standards impossible to enforce. The earthquake struck Syria’s northwestern regions, with buildings collapsing in Aleppo and Idlib. Some war-damaged buildings in Syria have been rebuilt using low-quality materials or “whatever materials are available”, says Rothery. “They might have fallen down more readily than things that were built at somewhat greater expense. He says they haven’t yet found out.

“The weather forecast for the region for tonight is dropping below freezing. That means that people who are trapped in the rubble, who might be rescued, could well freeze to death. So these hazards continue,” he adds.

The earthquake that killed Antakya’s first woman — now he knows what happened and what can it teach us about the city of Istanbul?

The valley that now divides the area was created after the earthquake cleaved an olive grove into two.

The earthquake that started last week made an incredible sound as it hit, according to a Turkish man who lives in the neighborhood.

He implored for experts to inspect the area for possible future damage. “This is not a small town, there are 1000 houses, and 7000 thousand people live here,” he said. “Of course, we are scared… if it was a little closer, it would have happened in the middle of our town.”

The strongest earthquake in the world in the last decade was an 8.1 magnitude one that struck a region near the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, but the location resulted in little damage.

There are a lot of factors that contributed to this earthquake being so lethal. One of them happened at the time of day. With the quake hitting early in the morning, many people were in their beds when it happened, and are now trapped under the rubble of their homes.

The city, an early cradle of Christianity and the Roman Empire, was devastated by an earthquake in February. The historical sites of the region suffered.

For 10 years, Kocaoglu, a native of the city, led tours of its historical core, guiding visitors from around the world. It has been destroyed to near-total destruction. The bazaar, the breakfast place he’d take tourists, and the local hangouts are all gone.

The Lonely Planet guide to Turkey summarizes Antakya’s charm in a sentence: “Atmospheric old-town fragments cling on amid the modern hubbub.” The street of bars and restaurants is now filled with waste.

The World Monuments Fund in Antakya, Syria: The loss of a historic mosque and a symbol of the survival of the city

“The earthquakes damaged structures spanning centuries and cultures, from Roman forts to historic mosques to churches holy to a number of Christian denominations,” Bénédicte de Montlaur, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund, tells NPR. “We have no doubt that the heritage lost in these tragic events will take years to repair and that we will need a large international mobilization to support the local efforts.”

The city’s centuries-old kaleidoscope of peoples — Alawites, Alevis, Armenians, Christians, Jews, and in recent years Syrian war refugees — has now scattered. There were more than 200,000 people living in the city before the quake, but now survivors who have remained in the surrounding district are living in tents, Kocaoglu included.

The area of ancient Antioch has a deep, diverse history that has been home to people speaking different languages, practicing different religions, and researching different faiths. The monuments are a significant part of the history and contemporary life of the region and it is vital that we keep our focus on the living people in need.

Turkey claims that the oldest mosque in the area has come crumbling down. Habib-i Najjar Mosque was built as a church in 638 CE and converted back and forth over the centuries from a church to a mosque. During the Ottoman period, it was rebuilt but its 17th century minaret remained. The minaret and the mosque’s domed roof were destroyed in the earthquake.

The Sermaye Mosque is unique in how it was built, as its entrance was built through the minaret. The minaret is no longer standing. Other mosques in Antakya are complete piles of rubble, like the Ottoman-era New Mosque, known as Yeni Camii.

The Ulu Mosque, built in the 18th century, used to broadcast the call to prayer five times a day in the center of the city. It’s gone completely. Loudspeakers attached to street poles now carry the prayer call — a symbol, Kocaoglu says, that life in Antakya clings on.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/25/1158693549/turkey-earthquake-antakya-antioch-religions-cultural-heritage-ruins

Antioch’s Jewish community was devastated by a quake in 1942 by earthquake and its synagogue — a favorite spot of congregations in Antakya

The Apostle Peter brought Christianity to ancient Antioch in the first few decades after Jesus’ death. The New Testament says this city is where Christians were first called Christian.

The Orthodox Church in Antakya, the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate until the 14th century, was decimated in the quake — its façade now a jumble of iron and cement debris.

A newer Protestant church, housed in a building built in 1860 and previously the site of a French consulate, was also crushed. South Korean pastor Yakup Chang led worship services in the street outside of the church. One of his congregants was missing in the quake.

Ancient Antioch was also a major hub of Judaism outside the Holy Land. The Jewish community remained in the city for 2,300 years. By the time of February’s earthquake, it numbered only a dozen or so members.

The Antakya synagogue is still standing, having sustained minor damage. Its ancient Torah scroll, written on antelope vellum, was taken out of the city for safekeeping after the earthquake.

After the earthquake, the members of the community moved to Istanbul. The Jewish community president and his wife died during the building’s collapse.

A bulldozer has paved a hilly path through the wreckage. The Pasha Restaurant is one of his favorite old places. Orhan Uyanik wondered about the safety of a couple that got engaged here recently.

The city was destroyed by earthquakes six or seven times. This may be the eighth. It doesn’t matter,” says Kocaoglu. “We will try to do something for our city again and again.”