The devastation of the Roman castle of Gaziantep was filmed by the hyperspectral satellite of the Italian Space Agency
Even the Prism satellite of the Italian Space Agency is scrutinizing the area of theepicenter in Turkey and the devastation caused by the terrible earthquake of February 6th in the southeast of the country. L’Asi reports that the quake also resulted in the near-total destruction of a 2,000-year-old castle built during the Roman Empire. This is Gaziantep Castle, located in the heart of the city closest to the epicenter of the earthquake, which was built by the Romans in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD and later fortified and enlarged by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. The castle is unique for its irregular shape and 12 towers (it was even surrounded by a moat at one time).
The castle has withstood several invasions, renovations and regime changes, losing its military significance after being captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1516, but retaining its status as an important historical site and tourist attraction in the following centuries. It was recently used as the Gaziantep Defense and Heroism Panoramic Museum. Today the Italian Space Agency released the images acquired on February 13th.
The image on the left, explains the ASI, “is an RGB processing, while the one on the right is a panchromatic image, in which the Sirvani Mosque, also partially destroyed, is visible near the castle”. According to seismologists, the February 6 earthquake was one of the strongest ever recorded in Turkey. Thousands of buildings have collapsed or been heavily damaged in both Turkey and Syria as a result of this earthquake, with rescuers working to save people trapped under the rubble. The toll so far is more than 41,000 victims in the affected areas between Turkey and Syria.
Source-www.adnkronos.com