Over 3,000 cultural properties have been returned to Turkey this year

Turkiye has recovered about 3,480 cultural properties this year, thanks to the efforts of the national anti-smuggling authorities.

These relics could include “ceramic tiles, coins, statues, mosaics,” said Zeynep Boz, head of the anti-trafficking department of the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Mr. Boz emphasized that the ministry has achieved many achievements this year and states that it has an obligation to “do not violate the laws of my country” regarding the smuggling of artifacts, regardless of the type of cultural property involved. rice field.

Turkey is a hotspot for excavators, with countless relics buried underground in Turkey, which is rich in historic sites.

Turkiye is committed to fighting illegal excavations and smuggling of relics and repatriating its historic and cultural heritage.

Mr. Boz must mention some of the hurdles she and her team are facing and prove that the property was illegally taken out of the country, despite the clear source of the property. I said that there are many cases.

This doesn’t dent their decision, but Boz says that once a file is opened, it can’t be closed until they get the result.

read more: Finder Keeper: Turkey’s quest to regain lost cultural heritage

International cooperation

The process of recovering an artifact involves diplomatic efforts and proceedings with multiple state agencies, including law enforcement and judicial authorities, and the country in which the artifact was found.

Turkey’s international cooperation in this area is increasing, especially in the Balkans, and Mr. Boz said that working with British museums is a huge number of return requests they have to deal with. Said it was the most difficult because of.

She added that the British Museum is “a little cautious” even to the “most rational demands” to avoid having to leave the exhibits empty and accept all such demands. rice field.

Taking cultural properties abroad without official permission was outlawed in the Ottoman Empire in 1906. This is an ongoing policy under the Republic of Turkey, which was established in 1923.

Under current legislation that has been in force since then, unauthorized excavations are illegal and the found relics cannot be reported to the authorities.

read more: Italy returns 1800-year-old relics to Turkey

Source: AA