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A young man who came to Edinburgh with his parents is looking to rebuild his life, after a series of earthquakes hit his home country.
Artun Dumlupinar, 18, survived the tremors which claimed the lives of over 55,000 people in Turkey back in February 2023. The family lost their home, and their ‘entire lives changed’.
His home town of Malatya suffered extensive destruction, with thousands of buildings damaged. Those who survived faced immediate housing challenges, with a lack of essential resources across the area.
After moving closer to Istanbul for a year, Artun and his parents came to Scotland in January last year. His father hoped he could ‘build them a new life’.
Now looking ahead towards university, Artun hopes to study at the University of Edinburgh – though the financial burden has his dreams hanging in he balance.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, he told us: “The earthquakes hit Turkey around two years ago. I was living in Malatya with my family at the time.
“There were two earthquakes in one day at one point. I lost friends, we lost our home. We had to move to a different city because our home wasn’t good for living anymore. Our entire lives changed.
“After the earthquakes we had to buy a new house and everything. We have some financial problems.
“I graduated from a different high school in a different city with different friends. We were only there for a year before we moved to Edinburgh.”
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The first tremor in Turkey in the early hours of February 6, had a Richter magnitude of 7.7, while the second was 7.6. They killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and over 7,000 in northern Syria, and were followed by thousands of aftershocks.
There were around 2.3 million people in Turkey living in tents or, in lesser number, government-provided plastic container homes, and facing homelessness. The humanitarian crisis which gripped the area, with the impact still being felt.
Artun said the scars left from the earthquakes are still with him. He felt like he was in ‘survival mode’ for some time following the devastation.
He continued: “When we were back in Turkey I didn’t really sleep well, every night I would worry about whether or not a new earthquake would be coming. I was kind of in survival mode.
“After the earthquakes, about a year on, even when I heard small noises in the night I had to wake up to check what was happening.
“It was really weird. It was a really horrible time for us. I think in a way I skipped that part of my life.”
Now, the family are hoping to move on and create a new life here in Scotland. His father has a new role as a professor, and Artun has felt ‘very welcome’ thanks to the people of the city.
He told us: “My father is doing research at the University of Edinburgh. That’s why we came here in December last year, with my mum as well.
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“I love Edinburgh. I was planning to study different countries like the Netherlands or Italy, or London. My life in Edinburgh is really good though, every person I meet here is so friendly.
“I decided to stay and study here. I’m planning to study a double degree, with law and music.”
Looking back on the earthquakes, The British Red Cross said: “On 6 February 2023, a series of earthquakes killed over 55,000 people in Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria, in the worst earthquakes the region has seen in 20 years.
“Emotional scars run deep – many people still live surrounded by rubble in a constant visual reminder of the tragedy. Many others have never recovered their loved ones and are unable to grieve.”
You can help Artun with his university journey here.
