Several archaeological sites in Tartous province damaged by the earthquake

Tartous, SANA- A number of archaeological areas in Tartous province were damaged due to the earthquake that struck Syria on February 6th , Tartous Antiquities Department said.

The earthquake caused the collapse of part of the western frontend of al-Marqab Ancient Castle in Banias, and part of the ceiling, the eastern wall and some other walls, in addition to a complete collapse of the drainage canal south of the church, and a partial collapse of the chimney with cracks and shifts in the western side of the Dongun Tower, according to primary reports by the department.

The earthquake caused partial collapses and cracks in Aleika Castle and a shift and collapse of stones of the gate of Fort Suleiman. The collapse of large parts of the building of al-Mawla Hassan shrine in the al-Qadmous area and partial collapses at Samaryan khans in Tartous and at Umm Hush tower in Safita, in addition to partial collapses, cracks and the fall of mud parts of the Khawabi Castle Mosque, and collapse of parts of the remnants of the walls of the residential village, the reports pointed out.

The reports said that new serious cracks were observed in the decorative pillars of Tartous Cathedral, a dilapidated wall and some cracks in Safita Tower, adding that new cracks appeared and collapse of some parts of stones inside and outside the Tower.

Director of Tartous Antiquities Department, Eng. Marwan Hassan told SANA reporter in a statement that the department formed specialized committees to detect the archeological sites and assess the damages caused by the earthquake.

Eng. Hassan added that the archeological team is still working on inspecting the archeological sites and buildings in the province to record the damages in details.

Hala Zain