Earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 hit the southeast of Türkiye and the northwest of Syria on 6 and 7 February 2023, followed by a third one of 6.4 on 20 February, all with multiple aftershocks. The earthquakes caused major destruction over a vast area and claimed the lives of more than 50.000. In Türkiye, around half a million buildings were damaged or destructed in the provinces of Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Hatay, Elazığ, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa. Comprehensive technical surveys and reports have been produced by different institutions on various consequences of the earthquakes. The affected area houses inestimable urban, architectural and archeological assets inherited from many states and civilizations. The monuments include fortresses, medreses, libraries, mosques, religious lodges, public baths, fountains, kitchens and marketplaces dating from pre-Islamic and Islamic periods. Taking this into consideration, IRCICA’s Architectural Heritage Section made a field survey trip to the region in March 2023 to assess the situation of historical heritage. The three-member IRCICA team headed by Arch. Dr. Alidost Ertuğrul and comprising Arch. Taha Zahid Özdemir and Arch. Eng. Hussein Al Ragabi, focused on the buildings and monuments of historical character located in those eleven provinces, including smaller towns and villages. They examined, took evaluation notes and photographed each monument. The resulting report supplies information and evaluations on the effects of the February 2023 earthquakes and contributes to general knowledge on the restoration and conservation of historical architecture.
