Turkey’s approach to repatriating cultural heritage prioritises peaceful means because culture is seen as a platform for peace and cooperation
With an abundance of historical sites, Turkey has countless antiquities buried underground, making the country a hotspot for excavators. Like many origin countries, Turkey has undertaken the struggle against illegal excavations and artefact smuggling and is striving to repatriate its historical and cultural heritage. Nevertheless, this is not an easy task.
“Turkey has never been passive when it came to the repatriation of cultural heritage. But we became stronger and more assertive as global awareness increased,” Zeynep Boz, the head of the anti-smuggling department of the Turkish General Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Museums, toldAfter the First World War, with colonial territories gaining their independence, origin countries began to demand repatriation. Treaties were drafted in the League of Nations, but they never came into effect.
Germany also led several excavations during the Ottoman Era. German archaeologists had taken approximately ten thousand artifacts for restoration and documentation but did not return them. Halil Ethem Bey began their repatriation process and had most of them returned. Preventive measures, aside from penalties, include campaigns that aim to increase awareness in the Turkish population about how individuals could help protect the cultural heritage.
“When we fight for our cultural heritage, we are also fighting against crime. We are after each and every artefact that we believe was smuggled,” Boz said. Each physical quality of an artefact, from the details of craftsmanship to the colours that were used, is a hint about its origins. Other artefacts with similar or identical qualities and information about illegal excavations are also valuable indicators of provenance.
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