Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums: Initial reports indicate damage to some monuments in Aleppo, Hama and Tartus

Initial reports from  governorates received by the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums reported damage to some archaeological sites as a result of this morning’s earthquake.

In Aleppo, the citadel  suffered minor and moderate damage, including the fall of parts of the mill, cracks, and the fall of parts of the north-eastern defensive fences.

Large parts of the dome of the Ayyubid mosque lighthouse fell, the entrances to the castle were damaged, and parts of the stones, including the entrance to the Mamluki defense  tower, and the facade of the Ottoman hospice were also damaged.

Some museum artifacts were damaged inside the display store and cracks appeared on the front of the National Museum in Aleppo.

Technicians in the Directorate of Antiquities of Aleppo inspected the Old City, which has suffered damage, collapses and cracks in many private residential buildings. The historic Aqaba neighborhood adjacent to the Western City Wall, which is not far from Antakya’s door, has suffered damage and collapsed.

Similarly, in the historic Jalloum neighborhood, serious structural damage has been caused, including the fall of the roofs, walls and parts of facades.

In Hama, historic buildings in the province were affected, resulting in the fall of parts of some of the historic facades of these buildings, and cracks and rifts in the facades and walls of other historic buildings.

From the city of Salmiya, according to reports received by the Antiquities Directorate, 1 m fell from the upper part of the Imam Ismail Mosque minaret, resulting in a rift in the facade of the mosque due to the fall of the above-mentioned parts. In addition, parts of the outer walls of Shmimis Castle fell.

In Tartus, the Directorate received information on the damage to certain buildings inside the Al-Marqab castle, and minor and moderate damage, including the fall of parts of stones of some walls or facades of buildings, including the fall of a block of a circular tower in the northern side.

The quake also led to the fall of the rocky cliff in the vicinity of Al-Qadmous Castle and the collapse of some residential buildings placed on the castle’s campus.

In Homs governorate, to date, no precise information has been received on any damage to archaeological and historical sites, as well as the archaeological city of Palmyra. It is only known so far that the minaret of the Great Mosque in Qusayr has completely fallen.

Amal Farhat