Experts, students volunteer to save artefacts from rubble

In a bid to save the historical heritage of the quake-hit provinces of Türkiye, experts and volunteer students are carrying out strenuous efforts to recover historical artefacts that got trapped under the rubble during the devastating quakes last month, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

The quakes that struck 11 provinces in Türkiye’s south, including Hatay, claimed the lives of more than 46,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings. In addition to the buildings, historical mosques, hammams and fountains were also heavily affected. To recover the historical legacies of the past, the Culture and Tourism Ministry took action and formed a committee. This committee established a unit to work on the inventory of the qualified materials in the heavily damaged historical buildings in some provinces and districts, especially in Hatay, and to form a basis for restoration.

The unit started its work under the leadership of Associate Professor Dr Muhammet Arslan, the head of the department of art history at Kafkas University. Arslan said the team of experts comprises volunteer art historian teachers and students from different universities in the country, along with archaeologists, architects and civil engineers. Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students also accompany their work.
Full report on the Hurriyet Daily News site