UPDATE - UN sends containers to museums in Türkiye’s quake-hit region to protect cultural heritage

ADDS MORE DETAILS

By Seda Sevencan and Gozde Bayar

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (AA) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has sent 20 containers to archaeology museums in Türkiye’s quake-hit region to protect the country’s cultural heritage.

According to a statement by the UNDP, the Hatay Archeology Museum received 18 containers while the Kahramanmaras Archeology Museum received two on Thursday as part of the first shipment.

The UNDP said these containers will serve as a safeguard to protect the priceless treasures from the collections of both museums “until preservation experts can restore damaged or destroyed landmarks and ultimately rehouse artifacts and artwork for public viewing."

“These containers are just the beginning,” said Louisa Vinton, UNDP’s Türkiye Resident Representative.

“UNDP is currently seeking funding to support a broader effort to rebuild thousands of damaged cultural heritage monuments, in all their splendid diversity. This is not just about physical objects, as crucial as they are to historical memory; it is also a contribution to reviving the region’s unique identity and human spirit,” Vinton added.

Meanwhile, the UNDP noted they have already provided 25 containers to the Hatay firefighting unit as a temporary replacement for the Antakya fire department building, which was completely destroyed by the earthquakes.

It added that the UNDP is making significant efforts to support the early recovery of the earthquake-stricken region by providing waste management equipment, establishing mobile daycare centers, collaborating with women's cooperatives to set up mobile kitchens and scaling up vocational training for displaced earthquake survivors.

In addition to the containers, the UNDP will also be supplying handheld radios, drones and tablets, which are needed to assess the damage to artifacts, map damaged areas, take photographs for documentation and ensure the security of the artifacts while damage assessment studies continue in cultural assets and museums over the coming weeks.

“With so much of Antakya still in ruins, we need to protect and restore what we can of the enduring symbols of our city,” said Turkish actor and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Mert Firat.

Firat’s family comes from Antakya, and as a founder of the Needs Map civic organization, he has been active in the earthquake response from the first day.

More than 50,000 people were killed on Feb. 6 when magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck southern and southeastern Turkish provinces.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating quakes as well as many others in northern Syria.