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Photos: Syrians in quake-hit Gaziantep displaced again

Refugees in the Turkish city say they are reliving past traumas after surviving devastating earthquakes.

Syrians and Turkish people displaced by the earthquake camp together,
Syrians and Turks forced out of their homes by Monday's earthquakes camp together and help one another with food and heat. Among them are many Syrian Turkmen like Bakier Soulo, 28, who suffers from PTSD symptoms that have affected his language skills. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
By Stefania D'Ignoti and Abdulsalam Jarroud
Published On 8 Feb 2023

Gaziantep, Turkey – For many Syrians living in Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey, the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday have awakened traumatic memories of the 12-year war in their homeland.

Gaziantep is about 33km (20 miles) east of the epicentre of the initial magnitude 7.8 quake, which devastated the city and surrounding areas. Many survivors have lost their homes and are living in makeshift shelters in open spaces.

“We thought that living on the other side of the border would bring us to safety,” said Ahmad al-Rifai, 21, originally from Aleppo. “But we found ourselves reliving past traumas.”

Syrians in Turkey have experienced precarious economic and social conditions since they started arriving in the country in the early days of the war. In Gaziantep, many settled in poorer areas of the city, and after this week’s disaster, many of their homes are unsafe.

With rescue and aid operations delayed, they are camping in the open in places such as squares and parks. They gather in circles around fires, sitting and sleeping on mattresses on the ground under heavy blankets.

Some survivors told Al Jazeera the situation was giving them flashbacks of being displaced during the war in Syria. They describe a reawakening of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the fear of losing everything again and an inability to sleep.

Feeling the walls of their homes tremble and the ground under their feet shake resembled heavy shelling they experienced in Syria, they said. When they woke up, they thought they were back to Syria.

Two homeless men shelter in a makeshift tent next to a mosque
Two men shelter in a makeshift tent next to a mosque in Gaziantep’s old city. They say being close to God gives them hope that they will make it through these difficult times. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
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Ahmad al-Rifai, 21, says the current situation reminds him of the evacuation days in his hometown of Aleppo in 2016, when thousands of people inundated the streets leaving en masse
Ahmad al-Rifai, 21, says the situation after Monday's earthquakes reminds him of the evacuation of his hometown of Aleppo in 2016 when thousands of people inundated the streets as they left en masse during the siege of the city and its eventual capture by government forces. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
Antepe Sepeti, an iconic shop in the old town area filled with bazars, collapsed during the 4.20AM shake
Antepe Sepeti, a well-known shop in the old town of Gaziantep, was badly damaged by the earthquakes. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
People line up behind a bakery
People line up at a bakery distributing free flat bread in a predominantly Syrian neighborhood of Gaziantep. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
Gaziantep Castle, used by the Romans and Byzantines and the city’s main tourist attraction, heavily damaged by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake
Gaziantep Castle, used by the Romans and Byzantines and the city’s main tourist attraction, has been heavily damaged in the quakes. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
A group of volunteers builds tents in the Eyupoglu neighborhood of downtown Gaziantep, where the majority of residents are Syrian
A group of volunteers sets up tents in downtown Gaziantep, where many residents are Syrian. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
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Mohammad, who didn’t want
Mohammad, who didn’t want to share his last name, is originally from Aleppo. He was working when the first quake struck in the middle of the night and has not been able to return to his damaged house ever since. “I feel like an idiot wearing nice clothes in this situation,” he says. "I just want people to know it’s not by choice. These are the same clothes I’ve been wearing for over two days.” [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
Mohammad, who didn’t want
Syrians help each other build makeshift tents with improvised materials they find in the rubbish or the basements of their homes. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
A Syrian family in the process of building a shelter for the night in the middle of Sih Fetullah square. As spots under the closed shops’ rooftops, to protect themselves from the rain, have been filled up, they’re left with no choice but to camp in more open-air areas
A Syrian family builds a shelter in the middle of Seyh Fetullah Square. Spots under the roofs of closed shops were taken, so they were left with no choice but to camp in an open-air area. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
People gather in 100 Yil park near a mosque sheltering hundreds of people
Quake survivors gather in 100th Anniversary Park near a mosque sheltering hundreds of people. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
A Syrian father and son emotionally comfort each other with words of encouragement as they walk towards the closest public shelter put in place by the municipality, to overcome the population’s emergency needs
A Syrian father and son comfort each other as they walk towards a public shelter opened by the city government. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
Syrian refugees from the war camp
Syrian refugees camp in makeshift shelters in Seyh Fetullah Squaree in Gaziantep on the day after the earthquakes. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
As wood supplies run out, people are lighting up fires with plastic collected from garbage bins. The streets of Gaziantep are empty, filled just with the toxic smell of burnt plastics
With temperatures low and wood running out, people are lighting fires made with plastic collected from rubbish bins. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]
A family uses a public park bench to sleep for the night in front of Ersin Arslan Hospital in Gaziantep 
A family sleeps on a park bench in front of Ersin Arslan Hospital in Gaziantep. [Abdulsalam Jarroud/Al Jazeera]