Historical carpet lost at museum

İZMİR – Anadolu Agency

The Atatürk Museum was recently restored and reopened. The carpet has been missing since the restoration. Cihan Photo

An 89-year-old carpet, which was gifted to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during his trip to the western province of Uşak, was lost at the newly restored Atatürk Museum.

The museum underwent restoration in 2013 and reopened last month. One of six historical cotton Uşak carpets, the 12-meter-squared carpet was lost during the restoration work. 

A first examination showed that some security cameras were not working during the restoration; thus, it remains unknown how the storage was opened, how the seal was broken and who stole the carpet. 

The İzmir Culture and Tourism Directorate has reported the situation to the Culture and Tourism Ministry, which has since opened an investigation into the carpet’s whereabouts. 

The directorate also sent official letters to relevant authorities and institutions, in order to stop the possible international smuggling of the carpet.