The first quake in Izmir in 1688 took place on June 30, 1688. The castle of the Sanjak was completely destroyed. Another earthquake followed on July 10, 1688. It had its epicenter near Izmir in the Ottoman Empire . The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.0 on the surface wave magnitude scale with a perceived maximum intensity of X (intense) on the Mercalli intensity scale . Up to 19,000 people died. Most of the victims were Turks as the quake occurred on a Friday and many foreigners spent the day outside the city. After the quake, fires broke out, which destroyed almost half of the city due to the wooden construction. The city was rebuilt within a few years with the help of foreign merchants.
