Artifacts Recovered From Antakya’s Earthquake Rubble

HATAY, TURKEY—According to a Hurriyet Daily News report, the Hatay Disaster Area Excavation Directorate, which was established by Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry, has recovered fragments of the 720 registered cultural assets in Antakya that were destroyed by an earthquake this past February. The team is made up of art historians, archaeologists, architects, restoration architects, civil engineers, and students, who have been working in an area covering more than 3,000 acres for the past 10 months. Lead excavator Muhammet Arslan said that the team members have been conducting “rubble archaeology,” by rescuing columns, capitals, wooden door wings, windows, wooden cabinets, and features from mosques. “We carried the historical artifacts we collect from the rubble to the sorting area,” he explained. “We started by separating the cut and rubble stone, wood, and all the original materials of the buildings, and sorted them by district and parcel numbers. Then we put signs indicating the region they belong to. These materials will be used in the restoration of the original buildings.” Some artifacts, particularly from the Great Mosque, Habibi Neccar Mosque, and the Russian Orthodox Church, were taken directly to the Hatay Archaeology Museum, Arslan concluded. For more on archaeology in Turkey, go to "Preventing the Return of the Dead."