The earthquake brought down a historic Roman fort and altered the course of Gaziantep, a city with roots stretching back more than 1,700 years that bears the scars of repeated quakes. It also damaged the Aleppo Citadel, a landmark in Syria listed by UNESCO and celebrated for centuries as a symbol of the region’s resilience. The tremor reminded residents of how quickly well-known places can become fragile, and how history can be threatened in an instant.
In Syria, more than a decade of civil conflict has left the country deeply divided. The earthquake struck a landscape split between areas under government control and zones held by opposition forces, with Russian-backed forces pressing along the front lines. Official reports from the state news agency SANA detailed casualties across Tartus, Latakia, Hama, and Aleppo provinces in the northwest of Damascus, noting at least 461 dead and 1,326 injured. In the northwestern province of Idlib and other parts of Aleppo beyond government reach, the toll rose with hundreds more reported dead and thousands injured, a figure verified by the White Helmets, the volunteer rescue organization.
Turkish authorities reported that the epicenter lay in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş province, while the Kandilli Observatory suggested the focus could be just within Gaziantep or nearby areas about 40 kilometers to the south. In response to the disaster, schools in the ten most affected provinces were closed and sports competitions were halted to safeguard students and communities. The widespread disruption highlighted the need for rapid humanitarian access, robust emergency response, and long-term reconstruction plans that can withstand future seismic events.