An important center of the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Muslim worlds, the region of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria has archaeological sites that have also been affected by earthquakes. UNESCO is already examining the extent of the damage, while expressing concern about the situation in Aleppo (with the city citadel, old wall and historic markets damaged), as well as the Diyarbakir fortress, Hevsel gardens and other world heritage sites.

“Since we are focusing on the human factor, we have not yet had time to think about what to do with cultural heritage. Fortunately, the damage to Zeus is minimal, but I can’t say anything about the rest of the monuments.” – tells “K” archaeologist Kyutalmis Gerkay., excavation of a site famous for its Hellenistic and Roman mosaics. Among them is the famous “Eastern”, which is located in the “Zeugma Mozaik Müzesi”, the largest mosaic museum in the world.

Zeugma or Seleucia is located on the outskirts of Gaziantep. “The wider area is, in fact, the heart of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdoms,” archaeologist Panagiotis Yosif, curator of the Museum of Cycladic Art and professor of numismatics at Radboud University in the Netherlands, tells K. Especially in Gaziantep, disasters occurred in the city’s castle, whose history culminated during the reign of the Muslim Ayyubid dynasty, in the 11th-12th centuries AD. century.

In Gaziantep, the city castle was destroyed, the history of which culminated in the 11th-12th centuries AD.

“The Ayyubids,” says Mr. Joseph, “minted coins imitating early Byzantine coins and, more interestingly, coins minted by Antiochus VII of the Seleucids around 130 BC. they depicted the head of the king, despite the prohibition to depict a human figure in Islam. Such a coin is on display at the New Goat Museum. It shows the dynamics of the region through history as well as the timelessness in which its dynasties were recorded.”

Another important place that could also have been affected by the earthquake is ancient Dolihi. “It was a Thessalian colony, it flourished during the Hellenistic period, and the worship of an important god of Roman times, which was Zeus Dolichen,” explains Mr. Joseph. “He took elements of Zeus and the Semitic god Baal and was popular with Roman soldiers because he had a masculine and aggressive image. His cult spread throughout the Roman Empire, starting with a small temple in the region.”

Mr. Joseph is also concerned about Nemrut Dag, home to the “sanctuary” of Antiochus I of Commagene, a monument with huge pediments and supernatural statues dedicated to ancestor worship. “Wherever I turn,” he concludes, “there is an important place. The heart of the Seleucid kingdom is very close and certainly suffered from the earthquake.”