1138 Aleppo Earthquake
The city of Aleppo in northwestern Syria lies on a geologic fault line separating the tectonic Arabian Plate from the African Plate, and the friction between those plates renders Aleppo and the surrounding region particularly susceptible to devastating seismic events. On October 11th, 1138, one of history’s deadliest earthquakes shook northern Syria and killed about 230,000 people in Aleppo, its environs, and the surrounding region.
Aleppo was a bustling and vibrant city during the Medieval era, but in the mid 12th century, the region was ravaged by war as the recently formed Crusader states, such as the nearby Principality of Antioch, vied with the neighboring Muslim states. Aleppo, then part of the Zengid Sultanate, was at the forefront of the anti-Crusader resistance, protected by strong walls and a powerful citadel.
On October 10th, 1138, a small quake shook Aleppo, and warned by the foreshocks, most of Aleppo’s population fled the city for the countryside. Many died there when the main earthquake struck the following day, but far more would have perished had they remained in the city. There, the powerful citadel suffered extensive damage from the tremors that caused its walls to fall down, while in the city below, most of Aleppo’s houses collapsed.
The devastation extended beyond Aleppo and was widespread throughout northwestern Syria. The town of Harem, conquered by Crusaders who fortified it with a strong citadel, was particularly hard hit by tremors that shook apart and demolished its castle and caused the local church to fall upon itself.
The nearby Muslim fort of Atharib also had its citadel destroyed by the earthquake, which caused it to collapse upon and kill 600 of its garrison. The border town of Zaradna, sacked and pillaged multiple times as it changed hands between the combatants, was wholly obliterated.