Historical buildings in Hatay could not withstand the earthquake

Many historical monuments were destroyed in the fault of two separate earthquakes. Historical stone houses, one of these structures, were destroyed in this process. These stone houses are known to be 200-250 years old.

These houses are made of stone and wood as raw materials. These structures, located in the Antakya district of Hatay, could not stand like many other historical structures due to the earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 in Kahramanmaraş.

Restoration work was carried out on these structures. It was used as home, cafe and hotel.

Some were completely destroyed and some were heavily damaged.

In addition, these structures had an important place because they were on the world’s first illuminated street. The historical buildings around Kurtuluş Street were hosting countless tradesmen. But now only debris remains. Many people who believed in different religions lived on this street with tolerance.

The world’s largest hand-built tunnel was not damaged by the earthquake

Titus Tunnel and Cradle Cave, known as the world’s largest hand-built tunnel, as well as many destroyed ancient monuments, were not damaged. The history of these artifacts found in Hatay dates back to 2,000 years ago.

These artifacts made in the Roman period are standing without any damage. This structure, which was built by the Roman Emperor Vespasian to prevent the water coming from the mountains, is completely red. It is 7 meters high and 1380 meters long. It is a tunnel made entirely by prisoners using hammers.

The cradle cave, which is the cave where the rock tombs are located, was not damaged, and it was called the city of the dead at the time. The columns that have stood for thousands of years carry the cave.

The destruction was enormous in this disaster, in which thousands of people died. Many historical buildings were left under the rubble in the earthquake that affected 10 cities of Turkey.

-Cover Photo: Arif Hüdaverdi Yaman/AA