The beard attributed to the Prophet was lost in the Turkish earthquake
A small piece of the beard attributed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that was kept in a box and displayed in the oldest mosque in Turkey, which was destroyed by an earthquake, has not yet been found.
Ferraro: The ruins of the minaret can be seen among the pile of rubble that covers the prayer hall of Habib al-Najjar Mosque, which is the oldest mosque in Turkey. According to the Turkish government, Habib al-Najjar Mosque is the first mosque built in the borders of Turkey today, which was built in 638.
Only the outer walls of the Habib al-Najjar mosque remain intact. Interior paintings in yellow, red and blue can be seen on the wall, which is vulnerable to the wind.
A 50-year-old woman named Hawa says that a small piece of the beard attributed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which was kept in a box and displayed in the mosque, has not yet been found.
Hundreds of meters away, the Greek Orthodox Church, built in the 14th century and restored in 1870, was also damaged by the earthquake. The big white cross that was erected on the top of the church can be seen among the piles of stones and boards.
A member of the church board said: "All the walls have collapsed." We are desperate.
The devastating earthquake has killed more than 40,000 people in Turkey and Syria. In the ancient city of Antioch, many streets are inaccessible due to the rubble of destroyed buildings.
During its history of over a thousand years, Antioch was briefly ruled by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Ottomans, and even the French.
Antioch experienced many earthquakes, almost one every century, which destroyed it and the city was rebuilt many times. The most prominent earthquakes occurred in 147 and 37 BC and then in 115 and 458 AD. In 526, 250,000 people were killed and in 1054, 10,000 people were killed.
Hakan Mertakan, a researcher and doctoral student at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, says about this city: Antioch is the cradle of many historical events and the cradle of earthquakes.
Turkey, as well as Syria, is located at the intersection of three tectonic plates, which makes them prone to earthquakes.
AFP talked to a local official in the ancient city of Antioch about the heritage and history of this city, and he said that I have lost my two brothers and a nephew, and today my wife and daughter are being evacuated from the area, adding: "Honestly, now the priority is Haim is different from heritage.
About 6 places classified as World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are located in the affected area of Antakya.
