Ceremony held in New York to return Turkish artifacts

NEW YORK

A ceremony was held on Sept. 12 in New York for the return of 14 historical artifacts seized in the U.S.

The ceremony, held in the reception hall of the New York Turkish House, was attended by Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Gökhan Yazgı, New York Consul General Ambassador Muhittin Ahmet Hazal, officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Turkish Airlines (THY) New York Manager Emre İsmailoğlu, and members of the Turkish and U.S. press.

Yazgı thanked the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and his team for their cooperation with Turkish institutions in the seizure of the artifacts and stated that among the 14 artifacts returned, there was a bronze statue and two bronze statue heads originating from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur.

"I hope that the contribution of the return efforts to the universal culture of humanity will be better understood over time. Cultural heritage is the only way to celebrate and embrace our differences, as well as maintain respect,” Yazgı said, sending a message to artifact smugglers with the words "There is no escape."

Yazgı stated that the "dressed bronze woman statue," which is the largest piece among the returned artifacts, was brought to light for the first time, and emphasized the importance of the support provided by American officials, Turkish missions in the U.S. and THY officials in this process.

Consul General Hazal, who recently started working in New York, said that it was his first time attending a handover ceremony where historical artifacts were returned and that he was very impressed.

Stating that although the seized artifacts belong to Türkiye and they are the common history of all humanity living in other geographies, Hazal said, that anyone can come to Türkiye and see them in the museums where they will be exhibited.

Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit, said that while the artifacts represent a shared cultural heritage, they belong to the place where they were taken and should be returned to that place.

Bogdanos, who stated that some collectors thought the law did not apply to them for decades, said that it is time to do what is right and promised that he would continue to work to return the stolen historical artifacts to their places.

Return after 40 years of work

The 14 pieces of Anatolian cultural assets, seized within the scope of the cooperation carried out by the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Homeland Security, were handed over to Türkiye with mutual signatures.

It was reported that among the 14 artifacts was a bronze statue and two bronze statue heads from the ancient city of Boubon, which were unearthed during the excavations in the İbecik village of Gölhisar district of Burdur, which has an important place in world archaeological literature.

It was stated that approximately 40 years of scientific studies and analyses were carried out for the return of the "bronze young male head," one of the statue heads that was taken abroad without permission after illegal excavations.

Another artifact from Boubon, a bronze male head with a beard, was brought back to Türkiye as a result of the work carried out while it was being exhibited in a private museum.

Among the other artifacts, there are also three Byzantine-era coins, two daggers from the 18th and 19th century Ottoman period, three terracotta pots from various periods, a piece of a jewelry box dating back to the 11th century and a terracotta lamp, which were smuggled out of the country during illegal excavations in the 1960s from Boubon.