MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage
MIRAS Social Organization in Support of Studying of Cultural Heritage was established on 6th January, 2010 and registered on 31 March 2010 by Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Basic purpose is to assist in study, protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
Mission:
To study, protect and promote local and international cultural heritage; to assist in fulfillment of scientific-research work on study of cultural heritage; to research and popularize national-moral values; to repair and restore historical monuments and other objects; to study forgotten traditions and deliver next generation passed from one generation to other, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions and values; to focus on the similarities between the various heritage sectors, along with their differences.
Main Activities:
Arranges various courses and seminars, round tables and meetings, exhibitions and tours; holds local and international conferences, symposiums, charitable marathons, and other cultural mass events in the line of study, protection and promotion of tangible and intangible heritage. Realizes projects on local and international level. Supports and coordinates collaborations of educational institutions, scientific institutions, museums, cultural heritage foundations of different countries like Turkey, Russia, Italy, Spain, Romania, Macedonia, etc. Shares experience of educational institutions in Azerbaijan and Europe introducing European standards creates integrated projects.
Projects. MIRAS Social Organization has implemented a lot of projects during its activity. A joint expedition of staff of National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan’s Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and National Museum of History of Azerbaijan started large-scale archaeological explorations in medieval Agsu town in March 2010 in initiative of MIRAS. The expedition displayed ruins of the underground town having rich civilization. Medieval Agsu Town Archaeological Tourism Complex was created in the area. Currently explorations are being conducted in early Middle Ages Mehravan Castle.
MIRAS Social Organization realized a project “development and propagation of archaeological tourism in Azerbaijan” with support of the Council of State Support to NGOs under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2011; “Monitoring of public attitudes towards cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and education work in the places” in 2012 with support of the Council; “Art Photography and Photo Restoration Master Class for Youth” with financial support of Azerbaijan Youth Foundation under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2014; a project “clean village: protection of ecological and ethnographic identity with participation of local communes and sustainable development” since March, 2014 with the support of the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, etc.
Events. MIRAS Social Organization takes part in a number of local and international scientific conferences, symposiums and festivals, and arranges events of this kind. These events include: republican conferences in Agsu and Baku cities (2010; 2011); International Hamza Nigari Symposium in Amasia and Baku cities (2012, 2014); International symposiums of Turkic Culture, Art and Protection of Cultural Heritage (2012, 2013, 2014) in Milan, Baku and Konya cities; International Congress of Eurasian Archaeology in Agsu city (2012) ; 1ST MIRAS Art Symposium at Agsu and Ismayilli regions of Azerbaijan (2013); 1st cultural heritage Olympiad in Baku city (2013), “Azerbaijani archaeological pearls” photo-exhibition in Ohrid city of Macedonia (2014); Azerbaijan; international conference YOCOCU-Youth in Conservation of Cultural Heritage in Agsu city (2014); 1st YOCOCU school for students and young professionals over conservation, restoration and management of archaeological sites in 2014 in Agsu, Azerbaijan (2014); "Azerbaijan and Turkey: Common Values and History" Conference and exhibition “Common Values in Turkic World in Malatya, Tarsus and Mersin cities of Turkey (2014); international symposium of Turkic Arts, History and Folklore in Sarajevo and Delhi cities (2014); 3rd international conference “Rethinking the Framework of Interdisciplinary cooperation between Cultural Heritage, Local Economic Development, Tourism and Media” in Ohrid city (2015); 1st International Youth Forum of Cultural Heritage and Tourism in Baku city(2015).
MIRAS members participated and represented Azerbaijan in various years, in International Dede Qorqud Festival in Bayburt City of Turkey Republic (2012, 2013); short advanced workshop & training course on the conservation of antique photographs in capital city of Egypt, Cairo (2013); international conference on "current trends in archaeological heritage preservation: the national and the international perspectives" in Iaşi City of Romania (2013); DHA 32- Dyes in History and Archaeology Conference in la Rochelle City of France (2013); SOPA-13 and SOPA14 in La Caceres and Galicia cities of Spain (2013, 2014); EAA’s 20th Annual Meeting in Istanbul ( 2014), etc.
Web-pages. MIRAS Organization has web pages: ‘agsuexpedition.org’ , ‘miras.az’ , ‘archaeotourism.az’ , ‘26FEVRAL.AZ’, ‘26FEBRUARY.AZ’, ‘agsunews.az’, www.seyidyahyashirvani.az.
MIRAS Journal. MIRAS publishes MIRAS Popular-Scientific Journal since 2011. The journal has been issued 7 volumes up to now.
MIRAS Members. Organization has more than 300 members.
MIRAS has “MIRAS Music Group”. The head of MIRAS group is Mehman Mikayilov.
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