Several archaeological sites in Syria suffered damage after a strong earthquake struck the region Monday morning, according to the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).
The ancient citadel of Aleppo was damaged after Monday’s earthquake
The 13th century citadel of Aleppo “suffered minor and moderate damage in which parts of the Ottoman mill fell, (there is) cracking and falling of parts of the northeastern defensive fences. Large parts of the dome of the lighthouse dome of the Ayyubi mosque also fell, the entrances to the castle and parts of the stonework, including the entrance of the royal defense tower, and the facade of the Ottoman shelter were damaged,” the DGAM said in a Facebook post.
The ancient Syrian city of Aleppo in the northwest of the country was severely damaged in the ongoing civil war, but after reconstruction work it reopened in 2018. The DGAM says artifacts inside the Aleppo National Museum were damaged in Monday’s earthquake.
The DGAM also reported damage to historic buildings and mosques in the Hama governorate in west-central Syria, including cracks in the structure and collapsed walls at the Imam Ismail Mosque and Shmemis Castle.
Syrian rescue teams search for victims and survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building in the city of Aleppo.
Al-Marqab Castle, a Crusader stronghold near Baniyas in northwestern Syria, also suffered damage, including the collapse of a block of one of its circular towers. “The tremor also caused the rock cliff in the vicinity of the Qadous castle to fall and the collapse of some residential buildings located in the castle compound,” the DGAM stated.
Experts are still studying the full extent of the damage to the historic sites and surrounding historic buildings and neighborhoods. The DGAM says it has not received “precise information” on the damage in the city of Homs.