1939 great Erzincan earthquake

Erzincan is the site of the youngest and most extensive tectonic movements related to the North Anatolian Fault Line running from east to west. It has been the scene of many major earthquakes throughout history. This work contains important information about the great earthquake Erzincan experienced on 27 December 1939 and the effects of this earthquake on the people of the region, as well as the general characteristics of the city. We believe that our work, which mentions both historical, geological, geographical and cultural features of the city, will provide useful information to researchers and readers on many issues related to Erzincan. The Great Erzincan Earthquake of 1939, which is considered to be one of the most important earthquakes not only in Turkey but also in the world, is not a well-known earthquake in our country, although it took the lives of 32,968 citizens according to official records. We would be very pleased to see that this disaster, which affected such a large area and brought countless stories of suffering with it, is known by more people and its importance is recognised.The migration movements due to the disaster, the aids provided by the Red Crescent and the works carried out by the Turkish Grand National Assembly are also included in the work. After the earthquake, the whole country acted with a sense of unity and solidarity and entered into a race with each other to serve the disaster area. Students, civil servants, labourers, tradesmen, artists, politicians, everyone helped in their own way. Newspapers shared news about the earthquake for weeks. In addition, foreign states also provided many aids and made significant contributions. As a historian who believes that the past gives direction to the future, I believe that we are an earthquake country and we should live prepared for such disasters at any time. We hope that our study will reach its goal and contribute to increasing awareness about earthquakes in our country.