CEE/Newsletter/Newsroom/An unusual edit-a-thon at Istanbul
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- By: Basak
The latest edit-a-thon in Istanbul brought newbie editors and experienced Wikipedians at an unusual venue. We met at a 16th-century hammam: Zeyrek Çinili Hamam. Our small group came together on a closed day of the Hamam and worked on articles related to hammam architecture and culture. Smelling the soap, feeling the warmth and sitting next to 500 hundred years old "kurna"s while editing provided a memorable experience for the participants.
The Zeyrek Çinili Hamam is a historical building openned last year following a very long restoration project and was accompanied by a museum structure. The event was held at the suggestion of the museum director. As we talked on the phone, “There is a lot of knowledge hidden in this historical building and hammams in general offer for those who are curious to learn. Why not discover them and share them on Wikipedia” was the idea.
We prepared a list of articles that needed to be improved and added, as well as a list of suggested resources in advance. The books from the library are carried to “warm room” of the hamam where edit-a-thon was made. Participants toured the hammam section at the beginning, and the museum section at the end of the event. Thanks to this event, we learned how the hammam was the second most frequently constructed building after the mosque in our land during history and played a very important life in social life. A little search let us find out how not only daily business and matchmaking for ordinary people but also secret political discussions were made behind the walls of hammams. We found tons of articles that need to be worked on and created.
It’s not always easy to work on intangible cultural heritage such as hammam culture. However feeling the atmosphere of the building, and touring the venue under the guidance of the experts was very motivating and inspiring for our participants. I know that there are also many hammams in countries of CEE region, particularly in Balkan countries. Maybe the story of this event would be inspiring for other Wikimedia communities to organize a similar one.
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