A panel titled ‘Before the Disaster Comes to the Museum’ was organized in Çanakkale.

A panel titled ‘Protecting Cultural Heritage Against Disasters Before the Disaster Reaches the Museum’ was held at the Anadolu Hamidiye Fortress in Çanakkale.

The panel, held in the Hamidiye Fortress Hangar, began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem. In his opening speech, İsmail Kaşdemir, the President of the Gallipoli Historical Site of the Çanakkale Wars, stated, “It is a reality of human history. Throughout human history, while there have been beautiful things, unfortunately, there have also been things we did not want, and they continue to happen. We hope that disasters will not occur again. At this point, there is a possibility of disasters happening both in the near future and in the past. Therefore, as people in positions of responsibility, we are working on what we can do before a disaster strikes, how we can minimize its risks and damages. The occurrence of a disaster is not something we can control. We may not be able to prevent disasters, but as rational beings, it is our duty to minimize the damage we incur from them; we know this is a responsibility we carry on our shoulders,” he said.

Prof. Dr. R. Cüneyt Erenoğlu, the Rector of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ), stated, “Çanakkale is one of the first-degree earthquake zones. In Çanakkale, landslides pose the greatest risk after earthquakes from time to time. They particularly threaten artistic structures and roads. In the last two years, we have lost hectares of our forests due to large forest fires. In addition, floods and natural disasters, along with pre-disaster, during disaster, and post-disaster measures, significantly reduce the destructive effects of these disasters,” he said.

Çanakkale Governor Ömer Toraman expressed, “The awareness of protecting monumental artifacts and cultural heritage, as well as civil architectural elements, has reached an advanced level. There is still a long way to go. However, our local governments, civil society organizations, and especially public institutions have become sensitive to this issue. An evaluation regarding historical artifacts goes as follows: Artifacts that have withstood centuries and have reached today have survived many adversities, risks, and damages caused by natural phenomena and disasters, as well as human interventions. However, their survival until today does not guarantee that they will continue in this way in the future.”

‘Protecting Cultural Heritage Against Disasters Before the Disaster Reaches the Museum’ panel concluded with a presentation by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuz Diker, the Head of the Department of Museology at ÇOMÜ Faculty of Applied Sciences, on ‘Cultural Heritage and Disaster Risk’.

The panel was attended by Çanakkale Governor Ömer Toraman, Çanakkale Wars Gallipoli Historical Site President İsmail Kaşdemir, ÇOMÜ Rector Prof. Dr. R. Cüneyt Erenoğlu, Bar Association President Av. Ardahan Dikme, Deputy Director of Çanakkale Forest Regional Directorate Fazıl Cabaroğlu, department directors, and students.