(VOVWORLD) - Monday’s earthquake in Turkey took the lives of thousands and destroyed just as many homes and historic sites.
 Rubble in Aleppo's old town (Photo: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images)
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Rock walls crumbled onto the fortress at the 2000-year-old Gaziantep Castle, one of Turkey’s most well-preserved castles. The castle’s eastern, southern, and southeastern bastions were also destroyed. In Syria, the earthquake destroyed the ancient city Aleppo’s western gate.
Turkey and Syria are considered the cradle of civilization with some of the most valuable archaeological sites recognized by UNESCO.