The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that has killed more than 2,500 people after hitting Turkey and Syria has destroyed parts of the Roman-era Gaziantep castle, footage shows.
Photos taken Monday of the hilltop fortress in southern Turkey show parts of its walls collapsed and stones scattered in piles.
“The iron railings around the castle scattered onto the surrounding sidewalks. The retaining wall next to the castle also collapsed,” Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency wrote in a report. “In some bastions large cracks were observed.
“On the other hand, the dome and east wall of the historic Şirvani Mosque, which is adjacent to the castle and is said to have been built in the 17th century, has partially collapsed,” the report added.
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Damage is seen Monday along the walls of the Gaziantep castle in Turkey. (Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Gaziantep Castle was first built as a watchtower in the Roman period from the 2nd to 4th centuries before taking its present form in the 6th century during the rule of Byzantine Emperor Justinian, nicknamed the “Architect of Castles”. , according to the Turkish Museums website.
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There are stones scattered around the grounds of the Gaziantep castle in Turkey. (Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The castle, which has 12 towers, was also renovated throughout history by the Ottomans, the website adds.
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Gaziantep Castle dates back to the 2nd century. (Mehmet Akif Parlak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The most recent renovation was in the early 2000s, according to The Associated Press.
The castle is now a museum that “illustrates the resistance struggle of the Antep people against the French and English occupation, the battlefields, the heroes who fought on these battlefields, the attacks, as well as the actions and difficulties that faced people”, regional tourism officials. say.
