Students are exploring Istanbul in the project ‘Do You Know the City You Live In’ at the Paris Yunus Emre Institute.

Within the scope of the project ‘Do You Know the City You Live In?’ by the Paris Yunus Emre Institute, students explore historical sites in Istanbul and Paris. Students who gather in front of the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul have the opportunity to discover historical sites in this context.

In collaboration with the Paris Yunus Emre Institute, Ibn Haldun University, and with the support of DITIP France, the project named ‘Do You Know the City You Live In?’ has been implemented. The aim of the project is for Turkish and French students to discover the cultural richness of Istanbul and Paris. Within this framework, students gathering in front of the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul explore historical sites. The project includes thematic tours and programs reflecting the cultural and historical features of the cities. Themes such as the history, sociology, academia, and media of the two ancient cities are covered within the programs. The project aims for participants from both countries to witness the cultural treasures of Istanbul and Paris.

‘Our project provides a new discovery for students’

Coordinator Mehmet Kara of the ‘Do You Know the City You Live In?’ project stated, ‘Our project offers the opportunity to examine and analyze Paris and Istanbul comparatively. It provides a new discovery for students. It aims to see how well they know their own cities. When we look at this project, students have the opportunity to get to know two different cities by traveling. We have divided it into different thematic days. When we look at the process in Paris, we have completed the first three days. During the first three days, we visited several museums in Paris. We visited many institutions and organizations. At the end of this project, we will request their outputs. By looking at these outputs, we aim to understand how they rediscovered cultural and artistic things.’

‘What I saw in Istanbul will always stay with me’

Student Rüveyda Kaya participating in the project said, ‘Within the project, we explored both Paris and rediscovered Istanbul. I understood that Istanbul is an endless city to explore. Paris was a very nice experience for me. What I saw and experienced in Istanbul will always stay with me. The Istanbul part of this project is very important to me. Our days in Paris were divided into specific topics. There were days dedicated to history, sociology, and religion. As a student of Islamic Sciences, the day of religion was more intriguing for me. Examining the rituals inside the structures of churches was a very nice experience.’