Erasmus+ "Self-awareness" project: Partners' impressions of Turkey

2021

Arrival in Gaziantep, Turkey

by Turkish

experience by host school about a business project named “Genchizz”, namely formed by students and in which they run their own companies and sell the shares of their companies to teachers in order to raise money

Selim Yavuz presents a prestigious project that involves several young people and is based on the creation of virtual companies

Live

Wednesday,08.12.2021

Zeugma was the name of the ancient city near Gaziantep. This city was founded by Alexander the Great in 300 BC. Its name "Zeugma" derives from the ancient Greek word which means "bridge". Zeugma was also ruled by the Roman Empire in 64 BC.

During this period, the city gained great importance due to its strategic position. The city was on the famous trade route, the Silk Road, which made it perfect for a cultural fusion! All these magnificent mosaics and parts of bathrooms, villas and gyms can be found in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum! You can find mosaics such as those of Dionysus, Oceano and Teti with marine creatures, the mythical bull Minos, the marble figure of Apollo, the mosaic floor with nine figures depicting Achilles and Ulysses, the bronze statue of Mars and many more! But the most famous mosaic in the world is, of course, the Gypsy Girl which is considered to be among the most famous worldly mastepieces! The Gypsy Girl has attracted visitors from all over the world with her messy hair, strong cheekbones and haunting eyes, the Gypsy Girl is the "face of Gaziantep".

Afternoon : walking and admiring the old town. Panoramic Museum.

Visit :Zeugma Mosaic Museum and Gaziantep War Museum Visiting historical bazar).

The Gaziantep War Museum was opened to honor Gaziantep for its resistance to its enemies during the Turkish War of Independence. The building that houses this museum is equipped with caves that show the epic stories of the war against the British and French soldiers who had invaded Gaziantep at that time. Small side note: Gaziantep was known as Antep, but due to its heroic endurance during the war era, the word "Gazi" which means veteran in Turkish has been added to its name.

From spices to the famous coppersmith, many traditional delicacies can be found in Gaziantep. You can also buy nargile (hookah hose), local leather shoes, amazing fabrics and much more!“Embrace Yourself, Embrace the World”

Göbekli is an archaeological site in southeastern Turkey, located about 18 kilometers from the city of Sanliurfa, near the border with Syria Here at the beginning of the Neolithic or at the end of the Mesolithic, there is what archaeologists define the oldest stone temple of humanity its construction dates back between 9600 and 8200 thus before the first Egyptian pyramids and the legendary Neolithic site of Stohenenge.

Around 8000 the sanctuary was deliberately abandoned and buried with filler earth, giving rise, on a plateau overlooking the surrounding region, Anatolia, to an artificial hill about 15 meters high The archaeological importance of this locality was reported as early as 1963 In 2006 the excavations were continued by the German universities of Heidelberg and Karlsruhe until 2014 What was brought to light exceeded all expectations: a grandiose megalithic sanctuary made up of circular, oval and rectangular enclosures in rough stone, interspersed with limestone pillars to shape three meters high, to which were added, in the middle of each enclosure, two similar but even more imposing pillars, five meters high and each weighing about fifteen tons On most of them, using exclusively stone tools, abstract symbols and images of human beings and animals were engraved such as snakes ducks, cranes, bulls, foxes, lions, boars, cows, scorpions, ants etc These representations have led to the hypothesis of a shamanic type of cult, prior to those in honor of Sumerian and Mesopotamian divinities Standing upright and arranged in a circle, these strange shaped pillars (a representation of the human body seen from the side?) would symbolize, according to scholars, assemblies of men.

Thursday, 9.12. 2021

Harran in Mesopotamia

Harran is a city in Turkey, the center of the district of the same name in the province of Şanlıurfa, near the border with Syria.

According to the tradition, Adam and Eve crossed the region expelled from Paradise as Abraham lived here too before going to the land of Canaan. The houses of Harran are still made with mud, with the same technique of the trulli of Alberobello (Italy), they have the shape of a bee's nest, they are built of mud and bricks, without the use of wood. This technique has remained unchanged for 3,000 years. The archaeological remains also include the ruins of one of the largest Islamic universities. The great silence and the sunset breeze mix with the history of this ancient city, absorbed in the past of humanity.

Şanlıurfa is a spiritual center and pilgrimage destination; it is a beautiful city in Turkey (also known as Urfa or by its old name, Edessa) visited every year by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims as it is considered the City of the Prophets. It is known as the "Jerusalem of Anatolia" and is considered a sacred place by Jews, Christians and Muslims. According to the Old Testament, the prophet İbrahim (Abraham), "the father of the three monotheistic religions", was born in the city of Ur and, together with his family, emigrated to Harran, the "home of the patriarchs". The history of Urfa dates back to the 4th century b.C.

Thanks to some findings in the surrounding areas, it is very likely that it has much older origins, even dating back to 9 000 b.C. The city is located in the upper basin of the Euphrates-Tigris.

Friday, 10/12/2021

Presentation by Kismet Mermerkaya on how to deal with the students,migrant orientation problems in education, social and psicologicalissues as well.

Discussion about lectures and workshops withdealing cultural diversity and acceptance and how to promote tolerance in the classroom.

Thanks, Gaziantep, for the colors, flavors and knowledge, the history and the great spirituality.

Thanks for the availability, the welcome, the joy.

by Antonella Morrone

The school: GAZİANTEP - Vehbi Dinçerler Fen Lisesi

Meeting the the principal

Everything for the students...

Meeting students...

Wonderful hosts

Hospitality at its greatest

Effective meetings

Wednesday afternoon – Visiting the famous Zeugma Museum and the War Museum

Thursday

GÖBEKLITEPE

Thursday - Harran

Last day at school

Last day – school meetings, visiting lessons and arts

Art workshop

We owe our greatest gratitude to the wonderful hosts, we treasure wonderful memories of our partners, the shool and the country. Thank you!