The 2,000-year-old castle, built during Roman times and having stood the test of time until Monday, has been destroyed.
Gaziantep Castle, located on a hilltop in southeastern Turkey, was built in the 2nd and 3rd centuries before becoming a museum.
But on February 6, the region was hit by two earthquakes greater than magnitude 7, killing more than 7,000 people in Turkey and Syria, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Heartbreaking photos show the aftermath of the earthquake, showing a castle in ruins with many of its walls torn down and destroyed.
Debris was also scattered along the road.
Before the earthquake, the castle served as the Panoramic Museum of Defense and Heroism of Gaziantep.
The museum, hidden within the walls of the castle, remembers the defense of the city from the French in 1920.
The castle played an important role during the Turkish War of Independence at the beginning of the 20th century.
Unique for its irregular shape and 12 towers (at one time it was also surrounded by a moat), the castle withstood many invasions, rebuildings and regime changes.
After the Ottoman Empire took over the castle in 1516, it lost its military importance, but retained its status as an important historical site and tourist attraction in the following centuries.
A stone sandwiched between the gates surrounding the castle.
The castle was built in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
The structure is completely destroyed.
Until recently, it served as the Panoramic Museum of Defense and Heroism of Gaziantep.
The castle was built by the Romans, then fortified and expanded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th century.
More than 7,000 people have died in the earthquake this week in Turkey and Syria.
Seismologists said the first earthquake was one of the strongest ever recorded in Turkey.
Credit: nypost.com /