Arslantepe Mound in Türkiye partially damaged after strong quakes

MALATYA, Türkiye

Arslantepe Mound in eastern Türkiye, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was partially damaged after the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes in the country's southern region.

On Feb. 6, the magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes rocked southern and southeastern Türkiye. The massive tremors, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, struck 10 other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Adiyaman, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, and Elazig.

Malatya Museum Director Samet Erol told Anadolu that the extent of the damage in Arslantepe Mound in Malatya, which neighbors Kahramanmaras, was not large.

With no damage in the permanent roof of the museum, the temporary roof suffered partial collapse but it did not cause harm to its archaeological texture, he said.

Erol also said frescoes were not damaged either.

"There are only slips on the small-scale mudbrick walls. These slips partially damaged the temporary roof," he said, adding that a scientific committee was formed to investigate the damage.

The damaged roof will be repaired soon, he pledged.

Beskonaklar Ethnography Museum partially damaged

The Beskonaklar Ethnography Museum in Malatya was also partially damaged in the earthquakes, Erol said.

The artifacts were shifted to a safe place as a precaution to prevent any damage to them in possible earthquakes.

The same is the case at Ataturk House and Ethnography Museum in the city, Erol said, as the building needs restoration in some parts.

"We packed all of our artifacts here appropriately and took them under protection in our Archeology Museum," he added.

The earthquake partially caused some artifacts to be broken, Erol said.

"However, in general, I can say that our artifacts are completely protected here, in a safe and completely secure environment. We packed around 2,000 artifacts in two days and transported them under appropriate conditions."