Local date | 12 August 1157 |
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Magnitude | 7.4 Ms [1] |
Epicenter | 35°06′N 36°30′E / 35.1°N 36.5°E [2] |
Areas affected | Syria (region) |
Total damage | Extreme [3] |
Max. intensity | MMI VIII (Severe) – MMI IX (Violent) |
Casualties | 8,000 [3] |
After a year of foreshocks, an earthquake occurred on 12 August 1157 near the city of Hama, in west-central Syria (then under the Seljuk rule), where the most casualties were sustained. [2] In eastern Syria, near the Euphrates, the quake destroyed the predecessor of the citadel al-Rahba, subsequently rebuilt on the same strategic site. The earthquake also affected Christian monasteries and churches in the vicinity of Jerusalem.