New developments for the “Dobrogea – Witness to the Millennial Civilizations of the Levant” project

Between the 16^th and 18^th of April 2019, three activities associated with the project were undertaken at the “Ovidius” University of Constanța: the discussions and debates surrounding the potential creation of a UNESCO geopark in Dobrogea, with the input of several professors, researchers and students of the University (April 16^th); a conference dedicated to presenting the project’s achievements in the past year and its objectives for the future (April 17^th); and a symposium on “Researching multiculturality in Dobrogea – achievements and perspectives” (April 18^th).

The discussions of the first day featured the input of professors and students, in answer to the question of which the Dobrogean region that best meets the established criteria for UNESCO-approved geoparks would be, with several areas being taken into consideration. A workgroup to visit the potential areas, and establish contacts with local authorities, was also created on the occasion, with a view to engage the student membership of the Association of Voluntary Students of the University of Constanța.

The two sessions held on April 17^th in the Senate Hall of the University of Constanța, titled „Nature and Socio-Cultural Diversity in Supporting Sustainable Development in Dobrogea” and “The Conservation of Biodiversity in Dobrogea” respectively, saw a total of 16 interventions focusing on research conducted in various fields of biology natural studies and geology, economic geography, history and archaeology, showcasing the project’s complex and integrative approach to the Dobrogean region. The talks were attended by a large number of students, with a fair number engaging in the Q&A sessions that followed.

On this occasion, the hall leading up to the University Senate illustrated a series of posters premiered at the National Museum of Geology in Bucharest during the launch conference of the Dobrogea – Witness to the Millennial Civilizations of the Levant project, on the 29^th of November 2018, as well as a substantial collection of rocks and minerals, gathered during the previous year’s field research.

The collection, illustrative of Dobrogea’s geodiversity, was donated by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization (IASLCC) to the Faculty of Biological Sciences and Agriculture of the University of Constanța.

On the third day, the University of Constanța’s Turkish Language Lectorate hosted a symposium titled “Researching Multiculturality in Dobrogea – Achievements and Perspectives”. Over its two sessions – “Researching Cultural Plurality – Sources, Principles, Methodology” and “The Turkish Community in Dobrogea – History and Culture” respectively, a total of 18 communications were presented by leading specialists on Dobrogean ethnicities, from the University of Constanța, the University of Bucharest, the University of Craiova, the “Babeș-Bolyai” University of Cluj-Napoca, the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, the Institute for Advanced Studies in Levant Culture and Civilization and the Tulcea Museum of Ethnography.

In the symposium’s opening address, Professor Sorin Rugină, Rector of the “Ovidius” University, remarked upon the dynamic undertaking of the “Dobrogea – Witness to the Millennial Civilizations of the Levant” project which, less than a year in, can already announce a series of preliminary results in various fields pertaining to Dobrogean nature, culture and society, and co-opting the aid of a large number of specialists and students from the “Ovidius” University in the process.