Catastrophe? 'Istanbul 2' Offers Backup

Feb. 14, 2008 -- It's a radical idea: Because Turkey faces the risk of a devastating earthquake, engineers propose building an entirely new Istanbul from scratch.

The satellite city, which would be located about 30 minutes away from the country's largest metropolis, would house about 4 million residents as well as Istanbul's corporations, hospitals, and major economic and government institutions.

Built with modern quake-resistant technologies, the buildings would not only serve as homes and places of business, they would provide refuge to citizens of the old city, should a seismic catastrophe shake the ancient city at its foundation.

"That would save them from the brunt of the earthquakes and also provide a lifeboat," said Mete Sozen, professor of civil engineering at Purdue University if Lafayette, Ind. "This city could save the day."

Sozen, who is from Turkey, came up with the idea after working on a computer simulation to visualize what would happen to Istanbul in the face of a strong earthquake. The city sits near the geologically active North Anatolian fault line. As a result, it has seen its share of quakes over the centuries.

In 1509, a quake triggered a tsunami that destroyed more than 100 mosques and killed 10,000 people. In 1999, a quake left 18,000 dead and thousands of people homeless. And seismologists predict that a major earthquake will probably hit the region by 2025.

The city, which served as the capital of the Roman Empire from 330 to 1453, is made up of antiquated structures as well as more modern, but cheaply constructed buildings.