IMO Ankara Branch held the “Strengthening Historical Artifacts and Safely Transferring them to the Future Symposium -1” between 27-29 September. 38 papers were presented at the symposium, which was held in IMO Teoman Öztürk Conference Hall and organized in 6 sessions. After the symposium, a technical trip was organized to Gordiyon.
The opening speeches of the conference were made by IMO Chairman of the Board of Directors Taner Yüzgeç, IMO Ankara Branch President Fehmi Toptaş, General Director of Cultural Heritage and Museums Orhan Düzgün, Head of Bridges Department Emin Ener, Prime Ministry Foundations General Director Yusuf Beyazıt and Deputy General Director of Foundations Ahmet Tanyolaç.
In his opening speech, Taner Yüzgeç drew attention to the rich historical heritage of Anatolia and listed the measures that should be taken to protect the richness of the historical heritage. Yüzgeç said that the land we live in is one of the oldest geographies in the world, having hosted many civilizations for centuries. Yüzgeç said that many civilizations left their mark on the Anatolian lands and pointed out the importance of the authorities carrying out studies on education and adequate budget in order to protect the historical heritage. He listed the measures to be taken as follows: “In terms of protecting and strengthening historical monuments, a university education leg must be established, as in countries with a tradition of conservation, research institutes and laboratories must be established, the expenses to be made in this field must be covered by the budget, the resources to be transferred must meet the need, the protection and strengthening of historical monuments must be ensured.” “Considering that it is also related to the earthquake hazard, it should be ensured that the strengthening works planned to be carried out at the central and local level also include historical monuments.”
Fehmi Toptaş talked about the importance of handing over historical artifacts to the next generations and said that they want to hold this symposium in this context in the coming years.
“Necessary awareness should be created among the public”
Complaining that there is not enough awareness of historical monuments in Turkish society, Emir Ener said that they need to raise the necessary awareness among the public in addition to legal regulations and sufficient budget for the protection of cultural heritage.
Yusuf Beyazıt, on the other hand, complained that they did not have financial problems, but that they could not find enough masters, apprentices and art historians. Beyazıt also drew attention to the importance of education and said that education in this direction should be provided in primary schools and high schools. Stating that restoration work is a very arduous task, Tanyolaç compared the restoration work to a human life and informed that they are the only general directorate that transfers 50% of its budget to projects.
Click here to access the Proceedings of the 1st Symposium on Strengthening Historical Artifacts and Transferring them Safely to the Future.