The 840 Erzurum earthquake reportedly took place in the city of Qaliqala (modern Erzurum).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 121

History

The primary source for this earthquake is the chronicle of

Michael the Syrian Michael the Syrian ( ar, ميخائيل السرياني, Mīkhaʾēl el Sūryani:),( syc, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܳܐ, Mīkhoʾēl Sūryoyo), died 1199 AD, also known as Michael the Great ( syr, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ, ...

(12th century). The narrative reports that it took place on a Friday of the month June (Haziran in the original text). Michael dates the event to year 1151 of the Seleucid era (Anno Graecorum), which corresponds to the year 840

Anno Domini The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means 'in the year of the Lord', but is often presented using "our Lord" instead of "the Lord", ...

.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 121 According to Michael's narrative, eight

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

s of Erzurum's

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

collapsed due to the earthquake. He also reports the collapse of many houses. He estimates that about 200 people were killed by the earthquake. Tremors continued for two months following the initial earthquakes, forcing the surviving locals to move to the city's fields. They lived in fear of a second earthquake.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 121 The Armenian

epitome An epitome (; gr, ἐπιτομή, from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "t ...

of Michael the Syrian's chronicle omits the earthquake. The original chronicle features an unreliable

chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , '' -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. I ...

, so there are doubts concerning the date and location of this earthquake.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 121 The city of Erzurum has been reconstructed several times. No archaeological and architectural data have been connected to this earthquake.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 121

References

Sources

* {{coord missing, Turkey 840 9th-century earthquakes 9th century in the Abbasid Caliphate History of Erzurum Arminiya Earthquakes in the Abbasid Caliphate