The General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in Syria has revealed the damages sustained by several archaeological sites following the powerful earthquake that struck the country. The directorate stated in a release on its official Facebook page: "Initial reports from several provinces indicate damage to some archaeological sites due to the earthquake that occurred this morning. Aleppo Citadel suffered minor to moderate damage, including the collapse of parts of the Ottoman mill and the cracking and falling of portions of the northeastern defensive walls."
It added: "Large parts of the dome of the Ayyubid mosque's minaret fell, entrances to the citadel were damaged, and pieces of stones, including parts of the Mamluk defensive tower entrance, fell. The façade of the Ottoman tekye also sustained damage."
The directorate clarified that there were damages to some "museum artifacts inside the display storage, and cracks and fissures appeared on the façade of the National Museum in Aleppo."
According to the statement: "Technicians from the Aleppo Antiquities Directorate are inspecting the old city, which has suffered damage, collapses, and cracks in many private residential buildings, particularly in the historic Aqbah neighborhood adjacent to the western city wall, with damages and collapses noted near the Antakya Gate. Similarly, in the historical Jalom neighborhood, severe structural damages occurred, including roof collapses and walls and parts of façades falling. Historical private houses on Kanak Road experienced moderate and minor damages, and reports indicate that several historical mosque minarets in Aleppo fell."
Regarding the city of Hama, the directorate stated: "Historical buildings in Hama Province were affected, leading to the collapse of parts of some historical façades of these structures, including the fall of part of a two-story façade of a historical property on Jalaa Street and the occurrence of cracks and fissures in other historical buildings' façades and walls."
The statement continued: "In the historic Bashoura neighborhood, the façade of property 982 in the second real estate area was damaged with part of its main façade falling and cracking. Reports from the city of Salmiah indicated the upper part of the minaret of Imam Ismail Mosque fell, leading to cracking in the mosque's façade due to the falling debris, and parts of the outer walls of Shimmin Fortress were observed to have fallen."
The statement discussed the damages reported in Tartus, saying: "We received information about the damage to some buildings within the Marqab Fortress, resulting in minor to moderate damages including the falling of parts of some walls or building façades, including the falling of a mass from a circular tower on the northern side, where the northern circular towers are located. The tremor caused a rockslide around Qadmus Fortress and the collapse of some residential buildings located in the fortress's vicinity."
The statement concluded: "The General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums awaits more precise information in the coming hours about the condition of many sites in most provinces."
