Many of Türkiye's historical monuments stand strong after earthquakes

GAZIANTEP, TÜRKİYE - FEBRUARY 23: While many invaluable artifacts, such as those in the prominent Zeugma Mosaic Museum, were left largely untouched in two recent earthquakes, Turkish authorities have declared that restoration and repair work would soon begin for those that took damage in the tremors.Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy declared that the restoration of historical and cultural sites in nearby Hatay province that were damaged by the massive tremors would begin next month. He also noted that the ministry's General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums has introduced an emergency disaster prevention plan.Teams responded immediately to work on damaged parts of museums and ruins across 11 province hit hard by the two back-to-back quakes on Feb. 6, and conducted large-scale damage assessment work of the cultural treasures.In Gaziantep, one of those 11 provinces, the historical Roman-era columns still stand in the ruins of the city of Zeugma. Its famed ancient mosaics have preserved their unique texture despite the earthquakes, while the museum's favorite exhibits, the 1.6-meter-tall statue of the Roman god Mars and the Gypsy Girl mosaic, were unscathed. (Footage by Husame Battal/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)