February quake hits ancient Syria monuments

(12 Mar 2023) SYRIA EARTHQUAKE ANTIQUITIES SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS RESTRICTION SUMMARY: LENGTH: 4:15 ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Simeon - 8 March 2023 1. Various of ancient site, inspectors looking at damage caused by the February earthquake that struck parts of Turkey and Syria ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Termanin - 8 March 2023 2. Various of aerials of castle damaged during February earthquake MUTE 3. Various of Ayman al-Nabo, director of the Antiquities Office of Idlib, checking site 4. Brick wall 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ayman al-Nabo, director of the Antiquities Office of Idlib: "So far, we have visited 25 sites, of which 14 sites were damaged. Currently in this classification, the damage is anywhere between cracks and the complete destruction of the architectural elements similar to what what happened to Simeon Castle. There are also cracks and some rocks that have moved apart in other parts of the dead cities. In addition, there has been damage to heritage sites within city centers in Idlib, Ariha, Salqin and others that house historical bathhouses and mosques." ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Simeon - 8 March 2023 6. Various of Hassan al-Ismail, researcher at Syrians for Heritage, and team inspecting an ancient site for damage 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hassan al-Ismail, researcher at Syrians for Heritage: "The castle has previously been subjected to many bombings and lots of vandalism. So the earthquake (further) affected this area, which is adjacent to the column of Simeon Stylites, and caused damage to it. Of course, it is our duty now as archaeologists to preserve these rocks that fell and put them back so that we can rebuild." 8. Various of ancient walls 9. Various of team inspecting church 10. Various of al-Ismail inspecting site and taking notes ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Termanin - 8 March 2023 11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ayman al-Nabo, director of the Antiquities Office of Idlib: "We urgently need an intervention to stop the collapse of sites like the Harem Castle, and work on fixing the cracks (at other sites) that were caused by the earthquake. The aftershocks continue to occur until now and can exacerbate these risks." ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Simeon - 8 March 2023 12. Various aerials of church MUTE ASSOCIATED PRESS Deir Termanin - 8 March 2023 13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ayman al-Nabo, director of the Antiquities Office of Idlib: "Our message is that antiquities need to be kept separate from politics, and for people not to side fully with the regime. This is a liberated area and it has its own administration and experts. We are technicians, archeologists and academics who are on the ground, and we work with colleagues in Europe. We hope that the work is all carried out according to the same standards, be it damage at archaeological sites in the regime's areas or in liberated areas." 14. Various of team inspecting site for damage STORYLINE: Last month's catastrophic earthquake that shook parts of Turkey and Syria has caused damage to historical sites in Syria. Ayman al-Nabo, the director of the Antiquities Office of Idlib, says his team spotted damage in 14 out of 25 sites it has visited. "The damage is anywhere between cracks and the complete destruction of the architectural elements similar to what what happened to Simeon Castle," he says. This site, built in 473 A.D, houses St. Simeon Church and has become an important site for Christianity. The centuries-old site had already been previously damaged in Syria's ongoing conflict. The country’s infrastructure is now further damaged by the earthquake. Find out more about AP Archive: 🤍🤍aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: 🤍twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: 🤍🤍facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: 🤍🤍instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: 🤍🤍aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/65a19a8415294443a3d9f87764b84fa0