Education through visits in cultural heritage sites 

To mark the International day on Monuments and Sites, we organized a one-day study visit with 120 students of different age groups from the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Turkish, Serbian and Albanian communities in Decani Monastery, Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren and Archeological Park Ulpiana.

The aim of this visit was to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts required for its protection and conservation.

The educational visit began in Decani Monastery where Father Petar disclosed details about the history of the construction of this monument, its social history and its functioning today.

From Deçan, we went to the beautiful city of Prizren, where we met with Nora Arapi – Architect from this city. Together with Nora, the students visited Sinan Pasha’s old mosque located in the heart of the city. Stunned by the history of this mosque, the students kept raising various questions about its functioning today. Some of them even challenged  the guise by asking critical questions that deal with the interaction of the modern world and  these monuments, such was the question of a 16-year-old from Partesh, “how did technology development affect the functioning of Mosques today”?

The third and final location to visit  was the Ulpiana Archaeological Park where Zana Rama – Archaeologist from Kosovo awaited us. In addition to informing the students about the history of this park, she also spoke to them about the plans and investments that are expected to be made soon there.

Education through visits to monuments and sites of cultural heritage to new generations is particularly important in introducing young people with multiple values of history and cultural heritage, which will consequently influence the awareness of the importance of preserving these monuments and passing these values to future generations.

The involvement of students from different ethnicities and religions in such visits creates opportunities for getting acquainted with a diverse common culture which then develops a sense of common belonging and strengthens social cohesion.