Discovering the Cultural Heritage of Istanbul

Description

Istanbul is one of the world’s most “layered” cities, as its history breathes through centuries overlapping lives, and religious beliefs.

Situated between Europe and Asia, throughout its history it has been shaped by Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman civilizations, whose cultural traces (imperial walls, churches, bazaars) have never stopped to shape the city’s urban landscape and everyday life.

This course invites educators to explore on-site Istanbul as a living classroom where history, architecture, and social life intersect.

Besides attending formal classroom discussions and lectures, through site-based learning and urban exploration, participants will gain first-hand experience of how cultural heritage can be understood not only through the most famous monuments, but also through “normal” daily practices, neighbourhoods, and shared spaces.

In short, they will learn how to use Istanbul’s streets, markets, and ancient squares as learning tools.

Throughout the course, participants will investigate how Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman layers coexist in the modern city. With field trips, they will explore local traditions and modern life, deeply blending together in Istanbul’s major districts.

This way, they will acquire the cultural instruments to reflect together on themes like identity, migration, borders, and coexistence — topics that resonate strongly with the realities of today’s European classrooms.

By analysing Istanbul’s urban richness, participants will also reflect on how their own cities can be effectively used in educational contexts, connecting cultural heritage with critical thinking, intercultural dialogue, and place-based learning.

By the end of the course, participants will have gained a new pedagogical approach with practical ideas on how to turn their local environments into living classrooms, helping their students to become more empathetic and globally minded citizens.

Concept by Zehra Yıldız

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Understand cultural heritage as a layered and evolving concept shaped by different historical periods;
• Analyse how architecture, urban spaces, and everyday practices reflect cultural and social change;
• Explore cultural heritage beyond monuments, including lived experiences and community traditions;
• Use urban environments as educational resources for place-based learning;
• Facilitate classroom discussions on identity, migration, and cultural coexistence;
• Develop reflective perspectives that can be adapted to their own educational context.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools;
• Overview of Istanbul’s historical and cultural layers;
• Cultural heritage as a living and evolving concept.

Day 2 – Architecture and historical layers

• Byzantine and Ottoman influences in the same urban space;
• Architecture as an expression of belief, power, and everyday life;
• Continuity and change across historical periods;
• Group reflection: urban heritage as a historical narrative.

Day 3 – Borders, walls, and urban transformation

• City walls and borders as part of cultural heritage;
• Conquest as a moment of transformation and redefinition;
• Changing meanings of borders over time;
• Group discussion: heritage, identity, and memory.

Day 4 – Everyday life as cultural heritage

• Transition from imperial structures to modern urban life;
• Social spaces, markets, and neighbourhood traditions:
• Everyday practices and social spaces as cultural heritage;
• Group discussion: modernisation and changing cultural identities.

Day 5 – Interpreting cultural heritage

• Touristic narratives versus lived experiences;
• Visibility and invisibility of cultural stories;
• Reflection on the week’s themes and learning outcomes;
• Discussion on applying heritage-based learning in schools.

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.

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