Two Thousand years old castle used to be Romans and Byzantines sanctuary, destroyed In Turkey Earthquake. The Gaziantep castle is a historic site and tourist attraction in southeastern Turkey.
The devastation wrought by the deadly earthquake in the early hours of February 6, badly damaged the Gaziantep Castle. The castle was built during the Roman Empire. The castle collapsed during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck
Some of the bastions in the east, south and southeast parts of the ancient Gaziantep Castle destroyed in the earthquake had the debris scattered on the road.
A little History
The archaeological excavations revealed that the castle was first built as a watchtower in the Roman period in the second and third centuries C.E. It was expanded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th Century.
The changes were made during the reign of the Ayyubids in the 12th and 13th Centuries, as well as during the Ottoman Empire era. It served an important role during Turkey’s war of independence of the early 20th Century.
Until recently it served as the Gaziantep Defence and Heroism Panoramic Museum.
“The iron railings around the castle were scattered on the surrounding sidewalks. The retaining wall next to the castle also collapsed. In some bastions, large cracks were observed”.
Sirvani Mosque
The dome and eastern wall of the historical Şirvani Mosque, located next to the castle also partially collapsed. It is said to have been built in the 17th century.
So far, there have been more than 18 recorded aftershocks measuring 4 or higher on the Richter scale since the initial tremor, one of the strongest to hit Turkey in a century.
According to Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay, some 1,700 buildings were damaged across 10 Turkish cities.
Seismologists term the earthquake as was one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey as well as of the century.
