A Digital Heritage preservation project by our student, Furkan Arslan, has evolved into a collaborative citizen science initiative.
The Bilecik City Memory Project, initiated by Furkan Arslan, a first-year MA student in the Department of Historical Studies, aims to reconstruct and preserve the cultural and historical memory of Bilecik, Turkey, through an interactive digital platform. Conceptualized as a class project in the Introduction to Digital Humanities and Digital Humanities Lab courses of Dr. Aliz Horvath, the initiative has evolved into a collaborative endeavor with the support of the Bilecik City Council and local residents. The beta version of the map, now publicly available, highlights the city's significant locations and historical narratives. Community engagement has been remarkable; residents have started contributing photographs and stories to enrich the archive. The project has also attracted attention from the local press, with a recent feature in Yarın newspaper. This collective effort exemplifies how digital tools can connect academic work with local communities to preserve shared heritage.