On a hill in the province of Latakia (west), Zouhair Hassoun observes with concern the towers of this fortress dating from the Byzantine era, built in the 10th century.

"All the towers of the fortress are in danger, one of them even collapsed after the earthquake", says the guardian of the monument.

Spared by the civil war that has ravaged the country since 2011, the Saladin fortress remained open to visitors until the earthquake that killed nearly 46,000 people in Turkey and at least 6,000 in Syria.

The earthquake damaged 40 archaeological and historical sites across Syria, according to the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).

Walls, ceilings or even towers of historic castles now have cracks or have partially or even completely collapsed, according to the DGAM, which indicates that churches, mosques and museums – some dating back to the Middle Ages – also suffered from the earthquake.

As he passes under three cracked arches, Zouhair Hassoun walks cautiously, and shows the facade of the huge fortress listed in 2006 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, then in 2013 on its list of World Heritage in Danger.

Part of the Saladin fortress, in Al-Haffah, western Syria, March 7, 2023 © Louai Beshara / AFP

“Each block of stone weighs at least a ton,” he points out.

"Any part of the fortress that rolls into the valley can never be recovered."

And, he predicts, "there will inevitably be landslides in the event of heavy rains or a new tremor, it's a matter of time."

"Invaluable"

At the national museum in Damascus, the director of the DGAM Nazir Awad circles on a map the six provinces most affected by the earthquake, including that of Latakia.

"We have counted more than forty damaged sites," he said, adding that the citadel of Aleppo and its Old City were the most affected by the earthquake.

Some damage requires "an emergency response so that these priceless treasures are not lost", he adds.

Rubble in the streets of the Old City of Aleppo, Syria, February 7, 2023 © Louai Beshara / AFP/Archives

According to Mr. Awad, shortly after the earthquake, a UNESCO delegation went to Aleppo to inspect the damage caused to its citadel, its Old City - which the United Nations Organization classified in 2018 as World Heritage in Danger. -- and its "médersa", schools of Muslim religious education.

The earthquake notably damaged parts of the Ottoman mill and the fortifications in the northeast of the citadel of Aleppo.

Large parts of the lighthouse dome of the Ayyubid Mosque also collapsed.

"Emergency"

"We urgently need international seismic experts to assess the situation," insists Mr. Awad.

"The sites won't last long if we don't intervene immediately."

In areas beyond the control of government forces, sites in Idlib province (northwest) and northern Aleppo suffered "serious damage", he says, relying on the testimony of local contacts.

Among these sites is the Byzantine church of Saint Simeon the Stylite, in the northwest of the province of Aleppo.

The Byzantine church of Saint-Simeon-le-Stylite, in the Aleppo region, Syria, February 19, 2023 © Mohammed AL-RIFAI / AFP/Archives

The western part of this church - which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is part of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria - was damaged and the vault of its eastern facade was destroyed, as were certain columns and decorations. 'After Syrian archaeologist Fayez Qawsara.

Near the Turkish border, in Harem, one of the towns among the hardest hit by the earthquake in Syria, a century-old citadel has suffered serious damage: a few walls and arcades of shops adjoining it are no more than ruins.

"That a building collapses is normal. But for a citadel which has resisted assaults for hundreds of years, it is strange and sad", regrets Firas Mansour, teacher at Harem and passionate about ancient architecture.

© 2023 AFP