Turkey's Antakya is in ruins after the quake, erasing cultural and religious heritage

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/25/ [login to see] /turkey-earthquake-antakya-antioch-religions-cultural-heritage-ruins
Yusuf Kocaoglu, a professional guide, leads us on a tour he never wanted to give.

The site of ancient Antioch — a crossroads of civilizations and a modern tourist and religious pilgrimage destination in southern Turkey — is one of the cities left most devastated by the Feb. 6 earthquake that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and Syria.

For 10 years, Kocaoglu, a native of the city, led tours of its historical core, guiding visitors from around the world. It has now suffered near-total destruction. The bazaar, the breakfast place he'd take tourists, the local hangouts — all are decimated.

"There is no place now I can take you because all of them are destroyed," he says. "Most of the people left the city."

Built around 300 BCE, the city, now called Antakya, has survived several previous calamitous earthquakes. Now, Turkish military vehicles, on patrol to keep the peace, roll past entire streets reduced to rubble. Bodies are still believed to be rotting under the debris.