The aim of this paper is to present the field investigation and performance assessment of the mosques and minarets constructed around the cities of Elaziğ and Malatya and their surrounding districts shortly after the earthquake (magnitude of ${\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{W}}=6.5–6.8$ according to different institutions) that occurred at 8:55 p.m. local time on Friday January 24, 2020, in the Sivrice township of Elazığ, located in the southwest of the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Mosques and minarets are special structures affected by earthquakes as other buildings too. Two types of mosques and minarets constructed using masonry and reinforced concrete constructional materials and technologies were investigated. A total of 20 mosques with minarets having either a masonry or reinforced concrete carrier system were extensively examined. It is concluded that a significant part of the collapsed and damaged mosques and minarets did not receive adequate engineering services and/or were constructed without following national guidelines. Also, it is thought that the absence of any codes or guidelines for these special structures is a major deficiency and leaves engineers in a difficult position during the design phase.

Two major earthquakes occurred on the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line (EAF) on February 6, 2023, with an interval of nine hours. These earthquakes, measuring Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6, were centered in the districts of Pazarcık and Elbistan in the province of Kahramanmaraş. They directly affected 11 provinces (Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Adıyaman, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Malatya, Diyarbakır, Adana, Kilis, and Elazığ) in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, caused significant loss of life and property. This study aims to present the field investigation and performance evaluation of engineering structures in the mentioned cities. The types of damages occurring in the reinforced concrete (RC) and masonry buildings, historical and industrial structures, bridges, and mosques were given in detail. According to the data of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance of Türkiye, it has been reported that the cost of these earthquakes is approximately 103.6 billion dollars, which corresponds to nine percent of Türkiye's national income expectation for 2023 and causes damage and losses of approximately six times more than the 1999 Marmara earthquake. In the areas affected by earthquakes, many of the errors determined by professionals from previous earthquakes still exist today.