Turkish ambassador: Azerbaijani-built district in Kahramanmaraş to open this month

The district built by Azerbaijan for those affected by the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş will be inaugurated later this month.

The announcement was made by Türkiye’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Birol Akgün, during a statement to the press, Caliber.Az reports per local media.

He emphasised that relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan continue at a high level.

Following the devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye’s Kahramanmaraş province in February 2023, Azerbaijan has taken concrete steps to assist in the long-term recovery of affected communities. As part of its humanitarian commitment, the Azerbaijani government has begun constructing a new residential district named “Azerbaijan” for those displaced by the disaster.

The project, which covers an area of 32 hectares, is being developed by the State Housing Construction Agency of Azerbaijan. Funded with a budget of $100 million, the initiative aims to provide durable housing and essential services to families who lost their homes.

The district will feature 71 four-storey residential buildings, comprising a total of 1,323 flats ranging from two to four bedrooms. In addition to housing, the plan includes 799 commercial and service units designed to help revitalise local economic activity and support small businesses.

Infrastructure will go beyond basic living needs. The district will also include a 300-pupil primary school, a 60-child nursery, a cultural centre, a library, music and craft workshops, STEM classrooms, and a multi-purpose sports hall. These facilities are intended to foster community life and support both education and wellbeing.

Currently, construction is underway on 16 buildings across sectors 11 and 12, which will include 276 homes and 244 commercial units.

On February 6, 2023, southern Türkiye was hit by a massive Mw 7.8 earthquake near Kahramanmaraş province, followed nine hours later by a Mw 7.5 aftershock.

Kahramanmaraş and neighbouring provinces suffered catastrophic destruction: hundreds of thousands of buildings collapsed, over 50,000 people perished, ~100,000 were injured, and millions were left homeless. This remains one of the deadliest and most devastating earthquakes in modern Turkish history.

By Aghakazim Guliyev