Huge earthquake in Turkey: 2,000 year old castle is destroyed

The historic site, a 2000 year old castle has been completely destroyed by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Gaziantep Castle has stayed strong for more than 2,000 years, until the huge earthquake that hit Turkey. The castle has been an important touristic destination for 2000 years. withstanding waves of invasion and conquest that saw it ruled by numerous Middle Eastern civilizations.

Huge earthquake in Turkey: 2,000 year old castle is destroyed

2,200 years old Gazintap Castle destroyed by the earthquake in Turkey.

Before vs Now. pic.twitter.com/vAtIWhmlsA
— Xavi Ruiz (@xruiztru) February 6, 2023

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit central Turkey and northwest Syria has left at least 1,200 people dead and hundreds more injured. The historical castle also got destroyed because of the earthquake. Less than 12 hours after the first major earthquake, a second one of similar size struck the area, adding to the rapidly increasing death toll.

The ancient stone fortress, which is also referred to as Gaziantep Kalesi locally, was initially built by the Hittite Empire as an observation post around the second millennium BC.

Images posted online showed the castle's iron fences collapsing, while local media reported that the Sirvani Mosque, a historic structure next to the castle, has also experienced partial wall collapse.