A hundred pictures showcase Albania’s UNESCO sites

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times December 4, 2015 13:05

A hundred pictures showcase Albania’s UNESCO sites

TIRANA, Dec. 2 – A hundred pictures featuring Albania’s three UNESCO World Heritage sites of Butrint, Gjirokastra and Berat have been touring the country since late October 2015 as part of a project supported by the UNESCO Office in Venice.

The photo exhibition “World Heritage sites in Albania” , which has been travelling the country since October 26 in different venues and will be on display until mid-December.

Two professional photographers were contracted to take pictures of the two Albanian properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, Butrint (1992) and the historic centres of Berat and Gjirokastra (2005-2008). Inhabited since prehistoric times, Butrint has been the site of a Greek colony, a Roman city and a bishopric. The present archaeological site is a repository of remains representing each period in the city’s development. The historic centres of Berat and Gjirokastra are inscribed as rare examples of an architectural character typical of the Ottoman period. Located in southwestern Albania, Berat also bears witness to the coexistence of various religious and cultural communities down the centuries.

The exhibition aims at giving the Albanian youth an overview of the rich and unique cultural heritage that is to be found in their country. This is the first time that the World Heritage sites of Albania come together for an audience of primary and secondary schools, in an effort to sensitize the younger generations to their World Heritage sites and all their treasures.

The primary focus is to involve locally based artists/photographers to promote the treasures of cultural heritage in Albania. An essential goal of the project is to increase public awareness of the country’s cultural heritage, by building a programme of school exhibitions and education tours in partnership with the regional directorates of culture and education, says the UNESCO Office in Venice.

The exhibition has already travelled Durres, Saranda, Gjirokastra, Butrint, Vlora, Berat, Korà§a, Elbasan, Shkodra and will close in Lezha in December 4 to 9.

 

Tirana Times
By Tirana Times December 4, 2015 13:05