Earthquake damages historic Gaziantep Castle in Turkey: NPR
Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey, suffered extensive damage in Monday’s earthquake.
Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Gaziantep Castle, a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey, suffered extensive damage in Monday’s earthquake.
Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Monday’s earthquake nearly destroyed a 2,000-year-old castle in southeastern Turkey, according to state and local reports.
Gaziantep Castle – located in the heart of the town closest to the earthquake’s epicenter – began as a vantage point during the Hittite Empire, was fortified during the Roman Empire and expanded under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I to the 6th century.
The castle is unique for its irregular shape and 12 towers (it was also surrounded by a moat at one time).
It has withstood multiple invasions, renovations and regime changes, losing its military importance after its capture by the Ottoman Empire in 1516, but retaining its status as an important historic site and tourist attraction in the centuries that followed.
It more recently housed the Gaziantep Panoramic Defense and Heroism Museum.
The castle collapsed in Monday’s earthquake, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.
The earthquake struck near the city of Gaziantep early Monday morning, damaging buildings including the historic castle.
Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The earthquake struck near the city of Gaziantep early Monday morning, damaging buildings including the historic castle.
Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
“Some of the bastions in the eastern, southern and southeastern parts of the historic Gaziantep Castle in the central district of Şahinbey were destroyed by the earthquake; the debris was strewn across the road,” the outlet said. , in reports cited by CNN and The Guardian.
“The iron railings around the courthouse were strewn across the surrounding sidewalks,” he added. “The retaining wall next to the castle also collapsed. In some bastions large cracks were observed after the earthquake.”
Turkish pro-government website Daily Sabah also reported that the dome and eastern wall of the nearby Şirvani Mosque – which dates from the 17th century and stands next to the castle – also partially collapsed.
The outlet shared a video on Twitter of rubble and snow covering the site of the once formidable structure, which now appears to be missing large chunks.
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