The aftermath of the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, in February. Photo: AFP
The aftermath of the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, in February. Photo: AFP
The aftermath of the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, in February. Photo: AFP
The aftermath of the earthquake in Antakya, Turkey, in February. Photo: AFP

'Like the end of the world': Syrian father recalls Turkey earthquake


Ali Al Shouk
  • English
  • Arabic

LATEST: Syrian survivor recalls devastating Turkey earthquake one year on

A Syrian father said his family prayed for their lives to be spared when February's deadly earthquake struck.

Mohammed Jaafar, 45, said the ground shook and walls collapsed around them in their apartment block in Antakya, Turkey, as they sought safety.

Mr Jaafar, who has two children aged 7 and 5, said he is haunted by the harrowing ordeal six months on.

“We were all sleeping in one room when suddenly the ground started shaking violently. In a minute, the walls collapsed, and it was darkness,” Mr Jaafar said.

We are all affected mentally after what we have seen
Mohammed Jaafar

He said the family clutched each other tightly, praying they would survive.

“We had minor earthquakes before, and we thought this one was similar. But this one felt like the end of the world.”

As buildings crumbled around them, he led his wife and children outside of their ground-floor home in the 11-storey building to seek help.

They found the natural disaster had left behind a trail of destruction.

“Luckily my car was untouched, and we had no injuries. We slept in the car for three days as the building was affected and it was not safe to return to the apartment,” said Mr Jaafar.

“People were under the debris, and we did not know what to do or where to go. It was a scene from Judgment Day.”

Mohammed Jaafar's family home was badly damaged by the earthquake. Photo: Mohammed Jaafar
Mohammed Jaafar's family home was badly damaged by the earthquake. Photo: Mohammed Jaafar

He said that his brother, sister, and other family members were living in Gaziantep – a Turkish city hit hard by the quake – but all were safe.

The 7.8-magnitude quake struck near the Turkey-Syria border in the early hours of Monday, February 6.

It was soon followed by a second earthquake of similar strength, with a series of aftershocks adding to the destruction.

More than 58,000 people were killed in both countries, with many more injured. Thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving survivors at the mercy of harsh winter conditions.

Family given vital support

Mr Jaafar said he and his family were moved to a temporary shelter.

“The care and support we received from the medical staff, the Turkish government and volunteers was overwhelming. It reminded us of the kindness of strangers,” he said.

One month later, he rented a home in Gaziantep.

“I went a couple of times to my old apartment and the scene was still catastrophic. I managed to collect my passport and some valuables left behind,” he said.

“Individuals, businessmen, and support agencies provided meals and support to people who were affected by the disaster. It was a great moment of unity.”

He said his family were initially given rent support by the government, but prices had now risen because of high demand.

As Turkey continues a slow rebuilding process, the mental scars of the millions affected remain.

“We are all affected mentally after what we have seen, and we need mental support, too. The government is doing its best to recover but there will be some financial difficulties in the long run,” he said.

He said work is still being carried out to estimate the damage to the building he once called home, but he fears it may have to be demolished.

How to help

People in the UAE can provide financial assistance to those in need by using the website of Emirates Red Crescent, the humanitarian arm of the government, as part of the Bridges of Giving campaign.

People have the option to donate to relief efforts in Syria and Turkey by PayPal, credit card, bank transfer or by text message.

Once donations have been received, an invoice from Emirates Red Crescent will confirm your contribution.

People can donate to Syria relief here and to Turkey relief here.

The UN offers a wide variety of ways to support millions of people who have been affected.

These include UN Crisis Relief, which supports humanitarian efforts, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Refugee Agency and Unicef.

For more information on how to donate to the various UN-led projects, visit here.

How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Breast cancer in men: the facts

1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.

2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash. 

3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible. 

4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key. 

5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor

 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now  

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

  • Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs 
  • Thursday 20 January: v England 
  • Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh 

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith  

The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS

Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm

Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km

match info

Union Berlin 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')

Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Updated: February 05, 2024, 1:49 PM