The loss of Turkey’s past AND present….

The dreadful earthquake in Turkey and nearby countries has destroyed a lot of their present, including a tragic loss of life. To us in the UK it’s hard to imagine what such an event could possibly be like.

But much of Turkey’s past has also been destroyed, including Gaziantep Castle, which was first built as a watchtower in the Roman period in the second and third centuries and was expanded in the fifth century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. So after two millennia, this amazing old fortress was razed to the ground by an event that only lasted around a minute.

Now this is all that remains:-

What a terrible extra tragedy for Turkey. The castle was a great tourist attraction, and now it has ceased to exist, except as a pile of rubble. I know this is not in the same class as the loss of life, but it would have helped toward a recovery for Turkey. Things like this will matter in the aftermath.

As an aside, looking at the two images above made me think of the walls of Jericho. Walls can come tumbling down, and not only because of mystical trumpets. A natural event like that which has struck Turkey would have done the job at Jericho just as swiftly and completely.

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