A symposium titled "The Effects of COVID-19 on Cultural Heritage" was organized in Tehran, the capital of Iran, with the collaboration of the research institutes associated with the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, other research institutions in Iran, and Tehran Yunus Emre Institute. The Director of Tehran Yunus Emre Institute, Abdullah Yegin, has introduced to "Covidoscope - Artistic Expressions of the Pandemic" project regarding the emotional and artistic reflections throughout the world during the pandemic with an impressive presentation at the symposium that was organized through international collaborations on February 17-18, 2021. 

The international symposium, titled "Effects of COVID-19 on Cultural Heritage", was organized on February 17-18, 2021 in Tehran through international collaborations of the research institutes associated with the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, other research institutions in Iran, and especially Tehran Yunus Emre Institute. Speakers from important institutions such as the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Irshad, Center for Humanities and Cultural Research, Center for Culture, Art and Communication Research, Budget and Planning Institution, Shahid Beheshti University, ECO Cultural Center, and Tehran Yunus Emre Institute participated in this scientific symposium.

COVIDOSCOPE DEMONSTRATES THE ARTISTIC AND EMOTIONAL REFLECTIONS TO THE PANDEMIC

Many top officials, including Ali Asghar Mounesan, the Iranian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, participated in the opening ceremony of the symposium that has drawn considerable interest. The programme ended with the speech of Abdullah Yegin, the Director of Tehran Yunus Emre Institute. Abdullah Yegin delivered the opening ceremony speech and introduced the "Covidoscope - Artistic Expressions of the Pandemic", a project that is initiated by the Yunus Emre Institute during the first months of the pandemic regarding the emotional and artistic reflections to the pandemic throughout the world. Yegin mentioned the significance of the Covidoscope project and stated the importance and value of the spirit of solidarity and communion in the society by demonstrating the reactions and feelings of people towards a common experience while having the voice of the "humans" heard in the world and carrying out works to create awareness for the communion and beauty in self.

20 DIFFERENT SESSIONS, 78 SCHOLARS AND SCIENTISTS

78 scholars and scientists from different disciplines participated in the symposium with a total of 20 different sessions. The titles of the sessions within the symposium are listed as follows:

"Cultural Heritage and the Coronavirus", "Abstract Heritage of the Age of Coronavirus", "Historical and Educational Aspects of the Coronavirus", "Social and Cultural Aspects of the Coronavirus", "Art in the Age of Coronavirus", "Language and Literature in the Age of Coronavirus", "Dynamics of the Iranian Traditions in the Age of Coronavirus", "Exhibitions in the Age of Coronavirus", "Media, Press and Publishing in the Age of Coronavirus", "The Coronavirus, Abstract Heritage and History", "The Coronavirus, Culture and Traditional Arts," "The Coronavirus and Tourism", "The Coronavirus and the Culture of Visiting Sacred Spaces", "The Coronavirus and Social Environments", "Social and Cultural Aspects", "The Coronavirus and Restoration," "The Coronavirus from the Perspective of Anthropology", "Tourism and Traditional Arts in the Age of Coronavirus", "Social Aspects".

The scientific symposium started on Wednesday February 17, 2021 and ended on Thursday February 18, 2021 with a session in which the social aspects of the "Effects of COVID-19 on Cultural Heritage" were evaluated.