Architect aims to rebuild a church and help restore a quake-hit Turkish city's multicultural past

Описание: (6 Feb 2026)
TURKEY CHURCH RECONSTRUCTION

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESSS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 4:19

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Antakya, Turkey - 4 February 2026
1. Various of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church of Antakya, which was destroyed in the 2023 earthquake
2. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Buse Ceren Gul, 34, architect leading reconstruction efforts:
"After the earthquake, we thought about how we could rebuild, how we could bring it back to life. And the underlying reason for this is not only the restoration of the structure, but also the preservation of demographics. It is also an opportunity for people to reconnect and return to this place. Additionally, it is not only important from the perspective of the (Orthodox) community. We are in Koprubasi, which we consider the heart of Antakya. This building and the shops make up almost 90% of this street. Therefore, rebuilding this structure in the same way and in the same place is of great importance to the people of Antakya."

3. Various of reconstruction efforts of church-owned shops on Saray Avenue
4. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Buse Ceren Gul, 34, architect leading reconstruction efforts:
"Because I love Antakya so much, and because like everyone else, I truly want to live here like we used to, I try to keep myself alive and motivated. Because I believe in something: if this happens, many people will be able to reconnect with Antakya, at least to some extent. Otherwise, it doesn't seem very likely."

5. Various of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church of Antakya, destroyed in earthquake
6. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Father Dimitri Dogum, 59, official at Greek Orthodox Church of Antakya:
"We have a tradition of living together. We have a culture of living together. This culture has been destroyed. We don't know how it can be revived; we are trying to keep it alive. But our process is very long, we still have a very long way to go. Our church was completely razed to the ground, and we also had about 50 or 55 shops, which were also destroyed."

7. Various of damage, rubble in Antakya, people walking
8. Wide of resident standing on a road
9. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Dervis Kisa, former Antakya resident and earthquake survivor:
"I try to be here every year on February 6 for the anniversary (of the earthquake) Usually, I’d document the streets of old Antakya, but now, unfortunately, with its current state, I try to recall memories, the past. I'm trying to get used to the perception that this change has unfortunately created in the minds of the people."

10. Various of Antakya resident Mehmet Ural playing a “darbuka,” traditional drum, on side of a road
11. Wide of traffic on a road
STORYLINE:
Architect Buse Ceren Gul is on a mission: restore a 166-year-old Greek Orthodox church that was long a beacon of her hometown's multicultural past and destroyed during the devastated earthquake three years ago.

She believes restoring the church left mostly in ruins by the earthquakes in southern Turkey, will help locals reconnect to their city.

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb. 6, 2023, and another hours later were among Turkey’s worst disasters.

In Antakya, the quakes destroyed much of the historical town center.

After years of planning, campaigning and fundraising, Gul's team recently uncovered St. Paul’s Church from the rubble that reached up to 5 meters (16 feet).

The quakes destroyed or damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings in Turkey, leaving more than 53,000 people dead.

Another 6,000 people were killed in neighboring Syria.






















Among them, Dervis Kisa, a former resident.





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