Two years ago, on February 6 and 7, 2023, two powerful earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria. Measuring at magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5, these were the largest earthquakes this region had seen in centuries. Between the initial quakes and a series of aftershocks, each significant on its own, several areas of Turkey were not only devastated, but decimated with whole villages ceasing to exist. According to the Turkish Ministry of Interior, the earthquakes resulted in the deaths of 53,537 people and 107,213 injured, as well as the complete destruction of 650,000 buildings, severe damage (i.e. rendering a building unusable) to a further 170,000 buildings, and another 1.4 million buildings sustaining less serious damage.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced to other cities while those who remained have lived in a succession of tents and now container cities. According to a December 2024 report by Dünya Doktorları (DDD)/Médecins du Monde(MdM), almost two years after the earthquakes, thousands are still living in container camps in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. For example, per the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) post-emergency standards for humanitarian crises, at least one toilet and one shower must be provided for every 20 people, yet there is only about one toilet per 100 people in these camps. Many located in remote and unlit locations putting women and children especially at risk of assault. Food scarcity is an increasing problem especially as there are no refrigeration, running water, or cooking facilities in the overcrowded containers. Lack of medical supplies and regular access to doctors has not only caused scabies and lice epidemics, but poses more serious problems for those with severe medical issues and for pregnant women.
One of the hardest-hit areas of Turkey was Antakya and the ancient city Hatay, home to Antioche Vineyards.
Once upon a time, the Turkish province of Hatay was known as Antioch, a name many Christians will recognize from their Bibles. And for good reason might one know its name. Antioch, founded in 300 BC was one of the largest and most influential cities of first the Seleucid Empire, then later the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Empires. It was also the main center of Hellenistic Judaism, became known as "the cradle of Christianity", and became one of four Crusader states founded in the Levant.
Once a city to which Turkish and international tourists alike flocked, Hatay was more than a cradle of Christianity, but one of peoples and civilizations. Many in Hatay speak not only Turkish, but also Levantine Arabic as their native language. In the old city especially it was not uncommon to see a mosque, a church, and a synagogue in proximity with one another.
Tragically, no longer.
The February earthquakes flattened the city, nearly wiping it from the earth. Churches and other ancient structures and artifacts that have survived centuries are now but a memory. Abud Abdo, Antioche Vineyards founder, estimates that 80% of Hatay is gone and nothing remains of the old city.
Government assistance for rebuilding businesses has not been forthcoming. Abdo said that he received no financial aid to rebuild the damages to his textile business, one of the city’s major employers. In fact, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, Abdo and his company privately funded the building and furnishing (including food and water) of 130 containers to provide shelter and assistance to his workers.
Antioche Vineyards fared better than did Abdo’s textile company. Amazingly, the vineyards themselves sustained no damage. In the winery, they lost three of their large stainless steel fermentation tanks and 20-25 barrels in addition to structural damage. As they were in the process of building new winery facilities, they put all their concentration into doing that instead of repairing damage. By the 2024 harvest, they were back up and running at full capacity.
In the immediate aftermath of the quakes, charities both domestic and international flooded the region to provide assistance, but that aid has long since dried up. While the government is constructing buildings to rehouse people, none are yet finished and most who survived and remained in Hatay still live in containers.
In an effort to provide what assistance we can to this still devasted community, we will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of these wines this month to Support to Life, an independent humanitarian organization providing emergency assistance to disaster affected communities.
Andrea Lemieux is an international wine expert with particular expertise in Turkish Wine. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine, the world's only comprehensive English language book on Turkish wine, and she is the founder of The Quirky Cork blog which is dedicated largely to Turkish wine.
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