Team working in labs to restore Turkey’s historical artifacts

ANKARA

A restoration team in the Turkish capital has been working cautiously like surgeons to restore and conserve artifacts belonging to various civilizations that are a part of Turkey’s historical heritage.

Ensuring the transfer of artifacts bearing the traces of different civilizations to future generations, the team carries out the maintenance and repair of tens of thousands of works registered in the inventory of museums in accordance with scientific criteria.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Ankara Restoration and Conservation Regional Laboratory Director Cengiz Özduygulu said that they have 26 restorers and conservators, as well as four people for analysis in their staff.

“We host and restore ancient works from all over the country when needed due to our knowledge and experience,” Özduygulu said, adding that a total of 12 provinces are under their responsibility.

Özduygulu informed that they worked on around 6,000 historical artifacts last year, adding that previously this figure was around 4,300.

“We have worked on over 10,000 works in the last two years,” he added.

Among the archaeological works the team has worked on, there are metal artifacts, stones, terracottas, carpets, rugs, documents and books.

Özduygulu said that a Hellenistic vase, which was excavated in the Black Sea province of Sinop, came to the lab in pieces for which they conducted an intricate work to assemble it back to its original shape.

The team works on artifacts from the Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman periods, as well as on findings from the early Republican period.

Özduygulu stated that they meticulously restored a wooden dressing transenna with embroidered fabric and paper details, which was a gift to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.