April 18, 2013
Faculty of Architecture, with a responsibility to lead an initiative part in the protection of cultural heritage, took part in the celebration of 18th April World Heritage Day with a series of activities once more this year. As it is now widely known, 18th April is celebrated every year as the "International Day for Monuments and Sites" with a certain theme announced by UNESCO and ICOMOS. For the occasion of this worldwide event, our faculty jointly with the Center of Cyprus Studies took the responsibility to organise some events in order to bring an awareness among the students and citizens towards the historical heritage and sites by organising conferences and panel discussions since the last three years.
This year, with the same aim, Faculty of Architecture jointly with Center for Cyprus Studies (CCS.) and MASDER (Famagusta Initiative Association) organised two workshops with the primary schools with the aim to create and increase sensitivity and awareness of the children towards the Cultural Heritage of our country as well as others.
The first workshop that started on 11th March 2013 with eighteen selected students on voluntary basis from Alasya Primary School was a long term study that lasted five weeks, getting together every Monday afternoon in MASDER building.
The second workshop was a one day activity with thirty five students from seven primary schools from Gazimağusa. In both workshops, students together with the instructors visited historical sites like Namık Kemal Meydanı, Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque, Salamis Antique City, Othello Castle and St. Barnabas Monastery Ceramic Museum and discussed about their historical significance and protection.
Each workday ended with an hour entertaining art practice and they were asked to produce their own artistic designs with different material. Both workshops ended with a joint exhibition of all students' art products and certificate ceremony in Bandabulya in the walled city of Gazimağusa on 18th April, 2013 at 17.00 hours.
The project was conducted by Sebnem Hoşkara (Dean of Faculty of Architecture), Naciye Doratlı (Chair of Cyprus Research Centre), Zehra Şonya (artist, leader of the project), Netice Yıldız (art historian), Beser Oktay (architect), Hülya Yüceer (architect) and assistants of our faculty and CSC.
