Matviy Andreyev

Nurdağı

Matviy Andreyev

I had the chance to stay here in 2014 just for one night. I've been shown a water spring in a neighboring village, where we've got to using the old road D400, and the new bridge. I walked a bit on my own in the outskirts of Ipek and Şanlı streets. I haven't got much to tell — this is more of an archive of pre-earthquake photos of the town which was Nurdağı before the 2023 quake.

Living near mountains means having such views, among other things. This view of Nurdağı was available from nearby the saddle on the road D400. The town was around 440 metres lower. The mountain pass is at 970, and the town is аt 529 metres over the sea level.

A view of Nurdağı from Nur mountains. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014
A wider view of Nurdağı from Nur mountains. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

The central street was called the Kahramanmaraş boulevard. It was used for car sales and rental. Car dealer offices and a gazillion of white cars — mostly minibuses — were taking near two kilometers of the street length.

Minibuses for sale on Kahramanmaraş bulvarı in Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

One of schools.

School. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

Evening on Ipek street.

Ipek street. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014
Ipek street name lousily painted on a porous brick wall. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

Part of the big Bahçe wind power station was visible on the mountain ridge.

sunset clouds, wind power station of Bahçe Rüzgâr Enerji Santrali. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

The lights of the O52 highway at night.

Lights of the O52 highway. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014
Lights of the O52 highway. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

A turkish rooster yelled it was morning already.

a rooster

Number of some house.

house number 34 painted on a wall. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

Turkish geese walking on double «T» tiles, passing by plastic waste.

geese and plastic bags. Morning in Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

Mountains and wind turbines — such was a morning view from somewhere around Şanlı street.

Nur mountains, wind turbines, O52 highway, red private house, plastic litter. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014
A panorama. Nur mountains, wind turbines, O52 highway, red private house, plastic litter. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

Sun energy was also at use — drying bell pepper.

bell pepper being sun-dried on a wall. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

These nice houses, three or four of them, were standing separately from others. I wish they were all mine...

A lone private house. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

One of viaducts of this world was named after Atatürk, of course, but was also having the second name «Nurdağı viaduct» for convenience. It could be visible from the town:

Nurdağı (Atatürk) viaduct, viewed from Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

A part of the viaduct from the D400 road, which was slightly above:

віадук Нурдагі (Ататюрк), вид згори. Nurdağı, Turkey, 2014

As you may have noticed, there was a big problem of plastic bag waste in and near Nurdağı.

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Added in 2024: Nurdağı has been completely destroyed by an earthquake in 2023. The owners of the house where I stayed lived because they have moved out of Nurdağı long before the quake. The satellite images of Nurdağı in 2024 show many piles of concrete debris, tidily formed by bulldozers in the grid of streets. I guess the plastic bags are somewhere between the concrete now. It is planned to rebuild Nurdağı completely.

The viaduct lived through the quake relatively unharmed, and continued to function after some works.

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