Reyhanlı is a district of Hatay that was barely known by the Turkish public before the start of the war in Syria in 2011. More than a decade later, many now have heard of the town, particularly because it finds wide coverage in the media, mainly because of its large Syrian population and the Turkish army’s cross-border operations.
Reyhanlı survived the earthquake of February 6, 2023, which thoroughly disrupted life, particularly in the city’s central district, Antakya, with much less damage. This, however, triggered a new wave of displacement from the center towards the small border town.
Hussein, a local teacher working at a private school, explained that many who are originally from Reyhanlı, yet lived in Antakya at the time of the earthquake, moved back to rebuild their lives in their hometown. Similarly, a considerable number of civil servants, who had jobs in Reyhanlı but preferred to reside in Antakya for mainly security reasons came to the town after the disaster.
However, the rapid increase in population, both due to the Syrian war and the earthquake, resulted in a housing crisis in the town. Many locals express concern that there are not enough buildings to accommodate the current population, and the rent prices for available places have almost tripled in the past year.
Currently, a considerable number of civil servants reside in a container town installed by the Turkish government a few kilometers away from the center. The biggest worry for Ahmet, who resides in a container, is the rain as water leaks inside on rainy days.
The current situation also affects the Syrians, who do not have a stable job and depend on casual work for their livelihood. In the absence of adequate and affordable housing, some have rented the space on the ground floor of some buildings, such as stores or parking garages, covered their front with a shutter and converted them into houses.
Meryem lives in one of these spaces with her husband and grandchildren. She has also made a tent extension outside for fresh air, as most of these spaces do not have windows.
No action plan is in sight to solve the housing crisis in the town. For the time being, despite its fragility, Reyhanlı has provided a sense of relative safety for many as a result of the changing conditions on both sides of the border.
