The story of Antakya, Turkey, is told in the holy texts of the three Abrahamic faiths – the story of a city that was founded as Antioch by one of Alexander the Great’s generals and that became a crossroads of the ancient world. It is the home of saints and Silk Road traders, martyrs and emperors.

But no one knows the story of what will happen now. 

Antakya has survived wars and disasters for 2,300 years. But after February’s devastating earthquake, the question is: Will it be the same Antakya? 

In today’s Daily, Sara Miller Llana and Melanie Stetson Freeman depict a town on the cusp of change, even before the earthquake. Historically, Antakya has embraced Muslim, Jew, and Christian – a relative haven amid the storm of sectarian strife. The need is not just to “build back better” but to “build back unbroken” – to restore the city’s unique soul.

Several communities struck by earthquakes in recent years offer lessons. In Sichuan province, hit in 2008, the Chinese central government paired each affected county with an unaffected province. Civil society was “massively mobilized,” a World Bank report said.

In Christchurch, New Zealand, hit in 2011, earthquake recovery efforts became a transformative force, reshaping everything from parks to recycling efforts. In Nepal, hit in 2015, the Japan International Cooperation Agency trained “mobile masons,” who spread around the country, speeding the recovery. 

The common thread is the power of community – of residents finding strength and neighbors near and far aroused to kindness. For Antakya, there are signs – the Christian priest sitting outside the rubble of his church, the Muslim imam who returned home after fleeing, and the Jewish refugee who longs to do the same.

Says the imam: We will start again “as if we are newly born.”