On January 24, 2020, a medium-magnitude earthquake hit the Province of Elazığ which is established in the eastern part of Turkey. The epicenter of the excitation was reported to be at Sivrice village. Although the ground excitation may be classified as a medium one, the damage to structures was found to be dared to investigate. The main reason of this excessive damage is because of the poor-quality building stock of the affected region. In this study, the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete buildings, masonry dwellings and mosque minarets were examined. General information about earthquake affected region was first discussed. Then, observed damage distribution and conducted resettlement studies were examined. The seismicity of the region and past earthquakes were considered to bring forward the effectiveness of the current excitation. After considering the parameters of the mentioned excitation, the reasons of the observed damage during the in-situ investigations were argued in terms of reinforced concrete buildings, masonry dwellings and mosque minarets. This study is expected to highlight the understanding of the seismic behavior of low-quality structures, and it is expected to encourage developments that will help enhance the seismic capacity of existing buildings in the region. It is believed that studies on the reasons of the observed damage after 2020 Sivrice ground excitation will help to enhance the seismic performance of building type structures against future earthquakes.