Türkiye vigorously pursues repatriation of stolen Trojan artefacts
Türkiye's quest to reclaim historical artefacts smuggled abroad gains momentum, resulting in the successful reclamation of over 12,000 items during the past two decades.
Troy, the city that existed about 4,000 years ago, was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998. / Photo: AA
Located northwest of present-day Türkiye, the ancient city of Troy has yielded many treasures to archaeologists unearthing its secrets. But many of these artefacts have been smuggled abroad, with Ankara today working to bring those pieces of historical heritage back home.
Zeynep Boz, who heads the Anti-Trafficking Department of Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry, told Anadolu Agency that officials have long been working to repatriate these treasures, determined to accomplish the task despite reluctance by many countries performing historical research on Trojan artefacts.
Speaking at the Troy Cultural Road Festival in Canakkale province, home to the ancient city's ruins, Boz said negotiations between governments on returning historical artefacts take time, adding that there was no exact date on their repatriation.
"But just as we managed to secure the return of a group of artefacts with origins in Troy from the US in 2012, we believe we'll also ensure the return of our artefacts in Russia, the UK, and Germany in the same way," she said.
Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry is "engaged in various activities aimed at increasing awareness among our people and fostering a sense of ownership of our cultural heritage," Zeynep Boz says.
Organisational crime
Officials are also working on beefing up measures against more artefacts being taken abroad illegally, Boz says, "We're engaged in various activities to increase awareness among our people and foster a sense of ownership of our cultural heritage."
"Sometimes, these activities are directed towards our children, while other times they target adult groups," she said.
Underlining the importance of cooperation with destination countries to prevent trafficking, Boz said Türkiye had signed smuggling prevention agreements with the US and Sweden in 2021 and 2022, along with 12 others with various countries.
Besides historical heritage, an illicit market for artefacts poses a major crime problem, Boz stressed, adding that smuggling has been used to finance terrorism and organised crime.
Türkiye is working to bar this type of criminal activity by seeking the return of historical items, she added.
The Troy Museum in Canakkale, having earned prestigious awards from Europe in 2020 and 2021, has recently received the "Travellers' Choice 2023" accolade from Tripadvisor.com, one of the world's largest travel websites.
Over 12,000 artefacts returned in 2 decades
Nearly 4,000 artefacts were returned to Türkiye in 2023 alone for more than 12,000 in the last 20 years, Boz said.
"We believe that shortly, we will secure the return of some valuable artefacts, a part of which has been subjected to extensive looting in Türkiye, and we will announce this," she said.
She noted that the Culture Ministry had initiated a process for the return of works originating in Anatolia after some were stolen and lost at a warehouse of the famous British Museum put on sale online.
"Our discussions regarding the return of certain artefacts with the British Museum were ongoing. We are deeply concerned about the current situation."
"The fact that more than 2,000 artefacts were taken by an individual working there and the delay in the necessary actions despite this being reported to the museum has greatly troubled us," she said.
"An investigation is ongoing in the UK, and a criminal process has begun. We may not receive a quick response to our efforts at this stage, but I have no doubt that they will put it on their agenda eventually."
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.