Among a pile of rubble covering the prayer hall of the Habib al-Najjar Mosque, which is the oldest in Turkey, the wreckage of the minaret can be seen. The devastating earthquake that killed more than 35,000 people in Turkey and Syria also wiped out 14 centuries of history in the city of Antakya, or Antiochia as it was. know the Greeks.

Satellite images of the Sanad Agency - taken on February 8 via Airbus - showed destruction in the Habib al-Najjar Mosque and a number of buildings in the surrounding area, compared to images taken by Maxar on December. January 2022 before the earthquake.

The first mosque in Turkey

The Habib al-Najjar Mosque, which is "considered the first mosque built within the borders of present-day Turkey," according to the Turkish government, was built in 638 AD (16-17 AH).

Only the outer walls held.

Interior paintings in yellow, red and blue, as well as graffiti, are exposed to the wind.

A fifty-year-old woman named Hawa Pamukju says with a "broken heart" that "a small piece of the beard of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) was preserved and displayed in the mosque, but it has not been found yet."

Antioch Church

Hundreds of meters away, the Greek Orthodox Church, which was the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East and was founded by Peter and Paul, was also damaged. The church was built in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1870 after an earthquake.

The large white cross that was hoisted on top of the church can be seen amid the piles of stones and planks.

"All the walls have collapsed. We are desperate," said Sirtac Paul Bozkurt, a member of the church's governing body, hoping to rebuild them.

Antioch is closely linked to the history of Christianity, and in it the followers of Christ, peace be upon him, took the title of Christians, as one of the main apostolic chairs (the Patriarchate of Antioch) is attributed to it, and the first disciples of Christ and early Christian groups were found there since the first century AD, and it also includes the Church of St. Peter at the foot of the mountain overlooking the city It is believed that St. Peter delivered his first sermon in it, and it was a refuge for the first Christians, including the first Pope, St. Peter.

In the old city of Antakya, a large number of streets are inaccessible due to the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Intersection of ancient civilizations and history

Throughout its history, which exceeds a thousand years, Antioch, which was founded by Alexander the Great in 300 BC, was followed by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Ottomans, and the French for a short period between World War I and 1939 when it was handed over to Turkey.

The region witnessed many earthquakes, one every century, which destroyed it, and Antioch was repeatedly rebuilt.

The most prominent tremors that hit it were in the years 147 and 37 BC, and later in the years 115 and 458 AD and in the year 526, 250,000 people died, and in the year 1054, 10,000 people were killed.

Hakan Mertkan, a PhD student at the German University of Bayreuth and author of a study on this city, says that "Antiochia is the cradle of many historical events" and that it is "the cradle of earthquakes."

Turkey and Syria lie "at the intersection of a large part of humanity's common ancient history," said Aparna Tandon, program officer at the International Center for the Study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property.

A satellite image on February 8th showing the extent of the damage to the Habib al-Najjar Mosque and the surrounding area (Airbus)

world heritage

About 6 sites classified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the World Heritage of Humanity are located in the area affected by the recent earthquake.

Yomna Tabet of the World Heritage Committee recalls that Aleppo in Syria, which is also a center of "intersection of civilizations", was previously "destroyed by 60% in 1822 due to an earthquake." Her castle was "severely damaged" this time, according to the UN agency.

Experts should definitely come to assess the severity of the damage, according to Sameer Abdallah, an official with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, an international non-governmental organization working in the field of protecting and preserving the world's heritage.

Abdullah stresses that attention should also be paid to sites not included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, such as those in Antakya.

He warns that cracks that appear to be "minor" and have no visible repercussions "may weaken the landmark" to the point where it "may collapse on its own after a few weeks".

Lives priority

However, heritage experts stress that "the priority is to save lives", which requires giving less importance initially to heritage sites.

As evidence of this, an interview conducted by the French Press Agency with a local official in the ancient city of Antakya lost his mind when he was asked about heritage and history.

"I just lost two brothers and my nephew. I am rescuing his wife and my daughter today. I have no money, nothing," he said, adding, "Honestly, I have different priorities than heritage now."