News
Earthquake in Syria and Türkiye: UNESCO offers support
Date：2023-02-12
UNESCO on Monday expressed its support for Syria and Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries.
Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality
7 February 2023
My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who died. My thoughts are also with the injured and all those affected. Our Organization will provide assistance within its mandate.
Audrey AzoulayUNESCO's Director-General
The Organization has undertaken with its partners and national authorities an initial survey of damages to heritage. In Syria, UNESCO is particularly concerned about the situation in the Ancient city of Aleppo, which is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Significant damage has been noted in the citadel. The western tower of the old city wall has collapsed and several buildings in the souks have been weakened.
In Türkiye, UNESCO is saddened by the collapse of several buildings in the city of Diyarbakır, home to the World Heritage site “Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape”, an important centre of the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman periods. Other sites on the World Heritage List not far from the epicentre could be affected, such as Göbekli Tepe, Nemrut Dağ and Tell of Arslantepe. But so far UNESCO has not received any reports that any of the World Heritage sites have been affected.
UNESCO is mobilizing its experts, in conjunction with its partners such as ICOMOS, to establish a precise inventory of the damage, if there is any, to safeguard these sites with the cooperation of national authorities, while being aware that their priority at this stage is emergency disaster, rescue and relief.
