#lattakia

صباحُ الخير🧡🕊️

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queen zenobia in the middle of the mediterranean sea in lattakia · syria

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buckle up and let' s go

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ISTANBUL

day 1 · arriving at istanbul · welcome dinner

day___ · hagia sophia mosque · basilica cistern · sultan ahmet mosque · · · topkapi palace · grand bazaar · archeological museum · · · istanbul accomodation · Grand Hotel de Londres · dinner time

KONYA

day___ · airport transfer · istanbul ISL - konya airport KYA · konya butterfly valley · meram vineyard

visiting sems-i tebrizi · rumi's mentor · museum of mevlana · madrasa of karatay · konya accomodation · . . . dinner time : )

NEVSEHIR

day___ · konya-nevsehir distance is 230km · 3 hours · heading to cappadocia · derinkuyu underground city · castle of uchisar · guvercinlik · goreme valley · pasabag valley · dervent valley · urgup · nevsehir accomodation · . . . dinner time

ADIYAMAN

day___ · flying to adiyaman · sunset on top of the nemrut mountain · adiyaman accommodation . . . dinner time

DIYARBAKIR

day___ · heading to diyarbakir · distance is 175 km - 2,5 hours · museum of city of diyarbakir · saint suleyman mosque · inn of hasan pasha · diyarbakir ulu mosque 4-legged minaret · surp giragos armenian church · ongözlü bridge · diyarbakir accommodation · . . . lunch time :>

MARDIN

day___ · heading to mardin · distance is 100 km - 1,5 hours · madrasa of kasimiye · monastry of deyrul zafaran · old mardin streets · mardin ulu mosque · historical kızlar high school · mardin accommodation · . . . dinner time is a wonderful time

SANLIURFA

day___ · heading to sanliurfa · distance is 200 km - 2,5 hours · karahantepe · sogmatar · harran · balikligol · sanliurfa accommodation · . . . lunch!

GOBEKLITEPE

Halfeti boat tour · gobeklitepe · archeological museum · airport transfer · sanliurfa GNY - istanbul ISL · back to . . .

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Five days after the earthquake that shook southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing more than 30,000 people, several international aid groups continued to work on rescues in Turkey, showing the solidarity and support of the world.

In Syria, however, it was a different story. “There are almost no signs of an international response: the only international volunteers I have seen personally in Syria are from Lebanon,” said Xavier Stephen Bisits, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) representative in Lebanon and Syria, who travelled to Aleppo on the day of the earthquake, and on Feb. 10 visited Lattakia. 

“The world must not forget Syria!”

Aleppo and Lattakia were two of the worst hit areas in Syria. Other cities, such as Homs and Hama also suffered damage, and there has been very little news from Idlib, closer to the Turkish border, which is still in Islamist hands.

Eight Christians were killed by the earthquake in Lattakia, but hundreds saw their homes either damaged or destroyed, and had to seek shelter elsewhere. The Franciscan community in the city has been at the center of the relief effort, and ACN will provide them with much-needed material and financial support.

“The Franciscan Friars are doing their best to support the population in this time of crisis and put their parish hall at the service of the people”, Xavier Bisits added

Several buildings collapsed in Lattakia, including one in the north of the city which killed a family of Christians who had previously fled from Aleppo, due to the civil war. “The worst damage, however, seems to have been in the neighboring town of Jableh, where between 20 and 30 buildings were reduced to rubble, including cases of multiple buildings collapsing in a row,” he added.

ACN‘s representative met in Lattakia the Apostolic Nuncio Mario Zenari, who spoke to victims and volunteers, and promised them the support and prayers of the Catholic Church, adding that Pope Francis himself had sent financial aid to the relief effort in Syria.

The Pope’s diplomatic representative in Syria also visited a local mosque where up to 2000 people gathered in the first nights after the earthquake, and which continues to be home to between 400 and 600 residents of Lattakia.

ACN has already approved several projects to help the local Catholic Church respond to this crisis. This initial amount of $530,000  will go to projects aimed at providing immediate relief to communities, but the main concern is managing to get houses surveyed by engineers, so that the population can move back in to houses that are considered safe. 

Dear ancestors, I’m so sorry about what the terrorists did to your monuments, how the foreigners tainted your legacy.

I’m sorry that your descendants are suffering the worst humanitarian crisis when you built us the greatest empires.

I’m sorry that your land was so rich, so healthy, wealthy, that greed had to destroy it.

It has gotten so bad that your history and marvel is forgotten, to be replaced by news of war...

It is time for me to come back to you, read what you wrote for us, discover who I am, who you were, 

and when I do,

Lattakia, Syria