Ministry targets illegal excavation broadcasts by plunderers

Salim Uzun – ANKARA

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has requested social media organizations to monitor and block posts by treasure hunters who broadcast their illegal excavations on social media.

Treasure hunters carry out illegal excavations in various areas and take high-definition videos and photographs to gain followers and sell metal detectors under the pretense of finding staged artifacts for the first time. They also earn an additional income based on the number of views their videos receive.

It observed that the majority of those who comment on such videos have never excavated before but have ordered detectors online after watching the content.

Speaking to daily Hürriyet about this type of content, Professor Necmi Karul, head of the Göbeklitepe-Karahantepe Excavation Committee, said, “All publications that encourage the destruction of cultural heritage should be considered a crime. Legal action should be taken against those who manage these accounts without even a complaint.”

The Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and Museums contacted representatives of relevant social media platforms, particularly YouTube, and requested that content that encourages illicit digs be blocked.

The request was supported by a comprehensive file containing content produced by some social media users. The file also included expert opinions.

Videos of treasure hunters who use picks, shovels, drills and even explosives in videos shot in Anatolia and damage qualified artifacts in live broadcasts will be blocked. The accounts of users who insist on violations will be suspended.