As it has been planned in the first day of the International Conference (Heritage in Danger), Monday, February 20, Koya University organized a tour to Koya city for the foreign guests of the conference.
This two-day conference is jointly organized by the European Architectural History Network (EAHN) and Koya University to be one of the EAHN thematic conferences for the year 2023.
The theme of this conference is (Heritage in Danger), it aims to explore various aspects of the threats that lead to heritage loss, along with the questions about how to save and protect cultural heritage through discussing and raising international awareness of the critical risks confronting cultural heritage and the devastating heritage loss around the world.
This conference is generously co-sponsored by Columbia University with support from the Carnegie Foundation, and Koya University.
The tour began with the “Qaisari and the Great Mosque of Koya”, which were the two places of interest to the researchers.
Then the guests walked to Khani Mahmoud Agha, the Great Mosque of Koya, Kamali Haji Majid's house, Koya Castle, the market and the old Qaisari of Koya city.
In these places, Asst. Prof. Dr. Sahar Basil Mahmood and Representative of Koya archaeological directorate, they told the guests about the history and latest situation of these heritages.
About the trip, Prof. Dr. Belgin Turan Ozkaya (member of EAHN and the scientific committee of the conference) expressed his admiration for the heritage of Koya and said:
Kurdistan, especially Koya, has some very valuable monuments and heritage. during my visit, I saw some ancient heritage sites that should be protected as a national treasure
Also, the very honorable Dr. Panayots Tornikiotis (vice president of the EAHN and member of the scientific committee of the conference) said:
Koya has some valuable heritage, but what I have seen is that some of them have been destroyed, others have been neglected, and some of the heritage houses and buildings have been turned into garbage dumps. Conservation should take place by government and international support to prevent this destruction
At the end of the tour, the guests went to Koya Castle for dinner and had a good time there.
The conference will be held on Monday and Tuesday, February 20 and 21, 2023, in the Presidency Hall of Koya University with the participation of more than 35 local and foreign researchers.
Overall, 24 papers on heritage challenges and protection which reflect the threats facing heritage in different cases from various reagions around the world including Koya city and other local cases.
We have contribution from 14 countries in this event.
Established in 2005, the European Architectural History Network. (EAHN) supports research and education by providing a public forum for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge of the histories of architecture. Based in Europe, it is open to architectural historians and scholars in allied fields from all countries.
They have members from countries across the world who work in many different fields and disciplines. The Network is proud to represent a broad and multidisciplinary constituency with a diverse approach to the built environment within the arts, humanities and social sciences.
The EAHN’s exclusive aim is the promotion of international exchange and collaboration. The rapid growth and success of the Network is a clear indication of the demand for – and interest in – an international forum for multiple histories of architecture.
Since 2010, the Network has organized a major international conference every second year. These biennial conferences have proved extremely popular and have played a leading role in consolidating and promoting architectural history research in Europe and beyond.
In addition to the biennial conference, the EAHN collaborates with institutions across the world to organize more focused thematic conferences and seminars. These events are intended to raise the international profile of the Network through local collaborations and to promote inclusivity and interdisciplinarity.
In early 2022, the European Architectural History Network. (EAHN) approved a conference entitled "Heritage in Danger 2023" to be held at Koya University. On February 20, 2022, the conference website was launched and researchers were able to register to submit abstracts. After the approval of the 24 papers and all preparations, the conference will be held on February 20-21, 2023.
Mapping Mesopotamian Monuments presents a topographical survey of the standing historical monuments and architecture in the region from Iraqi Kurdistan and southeastern Anatolia (Turkey) to southern Iraq. A work in progress, this monument survey covers all historical periods from ancient to modern. It includes ancient Mesopotamian rock reliefs carved into the cliff faces of the mountains, early Christian churches and monasteries, and early Islamic, Ottoman-era and 20th-century architecture and monuments. This database of images invites you to explore the multiple layers of the rich historical landscape of Mesopotamia. Envisioned and directed by Professor Zainab Bahrani, the basis of the survey is an ongoing field project that assesses the condition of monuments, maps their locations, and records them with digital techniques in order to provide a record and to facilitate future preservation work across this region.
The project began in 2012 and has been supported by a grant from the Columbia University President's Global Innovation Fund with additional support by the Chrest Foundation and the Carnegie Foundation.
