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In northwest Syria, some earthquake debris is gone, an emptiness remains

A year after dreams and hopes were wiped away by disaster, Al Jazeera returns to speak to survivors about the past year.

In Turkey’s Gaziantep, weddings are dispelling some post-earthquake sadness

In the lively wedding district, celebrations are cautiously starting up again as couples start their futures together.

Adiyaman memorial
Hundreds of survivors gather below Adiyaman's clock tower. The town's clock became an iconic symbol of the earthquake, as its watch hands were left frozen at 4:17am for days. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
A large sign displaying 4:17am, the exact time of the tragic moment, stands in front of a funeral wreath for the victims. Attendants have left letters to their lost loved ones, as well as flowers. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Participants chant and shout, demanding justice for their families, as they march and approach the gathering point under the clock tower. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
A moment of prayer to mourn the more than 50,000 victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
A survivor cries in desperation, holding the photo of her lost loved one, while being consoled by a relative and volunteers from Dayanisma Insanlari Dernegi, a civil society organisation coordinating humanitarian aid cooperation in the disaster area. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Survivors holding '4:17am' placards gather for a candlelight vigil in Adiyaman's main square and leave flowers while observing a moment of silence to honour the victims. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
An empty poster for people to write their memories, names of lost loved ones and thoughts, is displayed in Adiyaman's main square. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Hundreds of survivors and volunteers gather near Adiyaman's clock tower to remember the more than 8,000 victims of the earthquake in the city, the third hardest-hit province by the two-fold earthquakes on February 6, 2024. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
In Adiyaman, where 1,200 buildings collapsed on February 6, 2023, reconstruction is slow, with many buildings still bearing the scars of the two-folded earthquake and leaving many still displaced in temporary shelters a year on from the tragedy. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Dayanisma Insanlari Dernegi volunteers plant trees at 7am, after wrapping up the memorial ceremony, as a way to celebrate hope and rebirth on this land after so much death and destruction. Black and white balloons indicate where trees will be planted. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Mehmet Yilmaz, one of the heads of Dayanisma Insanlari Dernegi, stands where 100 trees were planted at 7am. The land is a very powerful element in this strongly agricultural city, where most of its residents are originally from nearby villages, deeply affected by the quakes. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Candles extinguished after a night of commemoration stand on the ground beside posters saying 'Our common cause'. The memorial to remember the thousands of victims was particularly heartfelt in Adiyaman, one of the worst-hit provinces, where the tragedy created stronger bonds. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Volunteers from Dayanisma Insanlari Dernegi plant trees as a symbolic gesture of rebirth. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
In Adiyaman, where rescue and aid operations were slower than any other province, local solidarity efforts gave life to grassroot initiatives to allow survivors help each other more efficiently. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
Adiyaman memorial
Berfin Kilic, third from the right on the first row, moved from Sanliurfa to Adiyaman a year ago to volunteer at Dayanisma Insanlari. [Mustafa Kara Ali/Al Jazeera]
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Video Duration 02 minutes 54 seconds 02:54
Video Duration 02 minutes 54 seconds 02:54
From: NewsFeed

Protesters scuffle with Turkish police on earthquake anniversary

Protesters’ anger spilled over at a vigil in Turkey to mark one year since devastating earthquakes.

Published On 6 Feb 2024
Besni container city
An aerial view of the tightly packed container site. Many residents have fixed tarpaulin to the roofs of their containers for extra protection from the elements and as added insulation. [Alaeddin Cogal/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
Central Besni lies behind the container city. [Alaeddin Cogal/Al Jazeera]
A vista of the mountains offers some relief from the narrow streets and tiny containers.
A vista of the mountains offers some relief from the narrow streets and tiny containers. [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
Many people in the container site cannot afford to leave, but it may only be available for another 18 months or so. [Alaeddin Cogal/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
After the earthquakes on February 6, 2023, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that all affected buildings would be rebuilt within a year. [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
The container site has two playground areas. Many children struggle to access education in the earthquake zone, but the Besni container site is close to a school. [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
The container site in Besni houses some 1,200 people in about 300 containers. [Patrick Keddie/Al Jazeera]
Besni container city
Turkey's government-backed housing agency TOKI is building homes for earthquake survivors on the outskirts of Besni. [Alaeddin Cogal/Al Jazeera]
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OPINION,

It’s been a year since the earthquake and Syrians feel forgotten once again

Since the earthquake, humanitarian needs have gone up in Syria, but aid has dwindled.

Anger as Turkey marks anniversary of devastating earthquake

One year on from disaster, mourning mixes with frustration over authorities’ response.

The Firats survived Turkey’s earthquakes, here’s their life a year later

A year on from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, Al Jazeera follows up with a displaced family in Adiyaman.

A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Mehmet Koc, 13, sits on a bed at London's Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital for a prosthetics fitting. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Mehmet is comforted by his maternal grandmother Emine Karalioglu, 63, in Mersin hospital after having the bandages on his amputated legs changed in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Mersin, Turkey, February 17 2023. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Pencil marks on a colouring book belonging to Mehmet Koc as he rests in his hospital bed after having the bandages on his amputated legs changed. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Hasan and his late wife's mother, Emine Karalioglu, react in the hallway of Mersin hospital while his son Mehmet screams as nurses change the bandages. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A building safety surveyor walks past rubble from damaged buildings in Antakya, Hatay province, February 25, 2023. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Hasan Koc holds his mobile phone displaying a picture of his late wife, Didem, 46, who died in the earthquake. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Hasan pushes his son Mehmet into a garden allotment to attend a picnic hosted by family friend Ali Cinar (L). [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Hasan prepares dinner for his son at his flat in London. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Mehmet lays on a couch in the sitting room. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Hasan holds up a Galatasaray football jersey with his son Mehmet's name on it. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Prosthetist Paul Gandrapu (L) attends to Mehmet on a treatment bed at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital for a prosthetics fitting. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Mehmet has received prosthetic legs, and in the hospital, he practises taking steps and doing exercises to build his strength. The legs, however, are a struggle to get used to; they take time to fit correctly, and as he grows, they will need to be frequently adjusted. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
A boy's arduous steps on prosthetic legs after Turkey's earthquake
Doctors estimate it requires 300 percent more energy to walk across a flat surface with bilateral above-knee prosthetics than natural walking, and for children, it is particularly hard. [Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters]
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A year of survival in the Turkey-Syria earthquake zoneThis article will be opened in a new browser window

How have the survivors fared since February 2023?