UN organizes donation campaign for cultural heritage in quake-zone
ISTANBUL
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has launched a global donation campaign for the restoration of cultural assets damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
With a total of 352 out of 8,444 historic buildings in 11 provinces in the earthquake zone damaged or destroyed, the UNDP campaign focuses on buildings such as Hatay Archaeology Museum, Gaziantep Castle and Sarımiye Mosque.
Restoration of some of the region's most characteristic buildings has been funded by government or other individual sources, but the financial need remains. Donations to the campaign launched by UNDP with the call "Save cultural heritage" will be held online.
The campaign focuses on six historical monuments that reflect the geographical and cultural diversity of the region:
The Hatay Archaeological Museum, home to one of the world's most famous mosaic collections, the 2,000-year-old Gaziantep Castle, which is on UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list, the 14th century Sarımiye Mosque, the 16th century Mar Yuhanna Greek Orthodox Church, the Kahramanmaraş Grand Bazaar, a center of economic activity since the 1500s, and the Arsameia Archaeological Site in Adıyaman.
Following the earthquake disaster, UNDP, in collaboration with the Culture and Tourism Ministry, delivered dozens of customized containers to archaeological museums in the region to be used for the conservation and protection of at-risk artifact collections and to house ministry staff involved in post-earthquake recovery efforts. It then provided drones, cameras, tablets and specialized software to facilitate the damage assessment process and help Ministry of Culture and Tourism experts catalogue damage in the region.
Christmas masses held in Hatay
In the earthquake-hit southern province of Hatay, which has hosted numerous civilizations and continues to embrace various Christian communities, ceremonies unfolded in two historic districts. Those attending the ceremony also commemorated the lives lost in earthquakes.
The historical district of Antakya saw a ceremony that took place amidst the ruins of the Orthodox Church, which succumbed to the tremors, leading the congregation through emotionally challenging moments.
In another earthquake-affected district, the ceremony in İskenderun unfolded at the Saint George Church with broad participation.
These ceremonies took place despite a large number of historical and religious structures receiving grave damage in the Feb. 6 earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 50,000 people in the 11 southern cities.