Gaziantep Castle will open for visitors at the end of the year
GAZİANTEP
Gaziantep Castle, severely damaged in the devastating Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes on Feb. 6, 2023, is set to reopen to visitors by the end of the year following extensive reinforcement and restoration efforts.
The castle, one of the city's iconic landmarks built in the sixth century, witnessed many historical events during the Byzantine, Mamluk and Dulkadirid periods, as well as the War of Independence.
Some parts of the castle were damaged during the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes. Restoration efforts initiated by the Culture and Tourism Ministry in May 2023 have completed the works on the castle's bastions and rampart walls.
Following the landscaping around the castle, it is planned to reopen to visitors at the end of the year.
Gaziantep Museum Director Özgür Çomak said that restoration work on 11 bastions and rampart walls had been completed.
Stating that they plan to finish all work at the castle by the end of the year, Çomak said: "Reinforcement work has also been carried out. Some collapsed sections were renewed. Usable stones were separated and reused, while unusable ones were replaced. If no setbacks occur, Gaziantep Castle will meet its visitors in 2025. Following the renewal of the walking paths under the supervision of our ministry, it will be reopened. We have very little work left. Over 90 percent of the work has been completed."
Kemal Yenmez, director of the provincial survey and monuments directorate, also emphasized that Gaziantep Castle is one of the city's iconic landmarks and stated that they aim to complete the works in a short time.
Noting that work would also be carried out on the slopes of the castle, Yenmez said: "We will carry out our work on the slopes of the castle in a way that does not hinder tourists. It will regain its old grandeur, even surpassing it. We have further organized its surroundings and taken all measures to ensure it does not suffer damage in such a disaster again. We have made it capable of withstanding such an earthquake. We went down to the foundations of the rampart walls and even strengthened the foundations. Since the castle is located on a mound, we used georadar scans to detect fractures in the ground and reinforced the rampart bases with ground injection to lift the castle. From now on, we believe such damage will not occur in a similar earthquake."
