Earthquakes Affecting East Mediterranian Cities and Cyprus from Early 12th Century to Late 13th Century

An earthquake is a natural disaster that can occur in many geographical regions depending on fault lines. This phenomenon, also defined as quake, can have a wider effect and cause significant destruction and loss of life in proportion to its intensity. The mentioned disaster, occurring in many parts of the world, has also affected the coastal cities of the eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus during the various periods in history. It caused significant destruction and loss of lives in the region from Antioch to Syria, Egypt and Cyprus in 12 and 13th centuries. Among secondary disasters, the tsunamis had a great impact on the increase of the loss of lives in the earthquakes. Particularly, the earthquakes in 1170, 1202 and 1222 caused both destruction and significant casualties due to the tsunamis along with the earthquakes in 1114/1115 and 1157. The magnitude of earthquakes also affected the political and military conditions of the period along with the attitudes of the people and rulers. While people gathered outside the cities to save their lives during earthquakes, they had to live in tents until aftershocks ceased. The Muslim and non-Muslim administrators of the cities also tried to address the damage immediately after the earthquake. In addition, they requested help from the Crusader counts, the Pope, and other Christian leaders, and held councils to make new religious decisions. The Mosul Atabeg Nûreddin Mahmud focused on financial matters and supported reconstruction activities through tax regulation. With these initiatives, they aimed to achieve a quick recovery of the people and cities affected. In this way, they tried to eliminate the social, political, and economic devastations caused by the earthquakes that had a significant impact on the region.