Turkey’s archaeology museums are full of artefacts confiscated from smugglers, including the 25,000 artefacts waiting to be catalogued and put on display at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Last year alone a total of 68,000 artefacts were seized from smuggling rings.
With more than 25,000 confiscated historical artefacts crowded into its storage depot, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is particularly affected by the overload.
Last year in Turkey the gendarmerie and police confiscated more than 68,000 historical artefacts from nearly 5,000 people trying to smuggle the valuable historical items out of the country.
Each year the stock of artefacts seized from smugglers continues to grow and museum managers are increasingly facing problems in handling, cataloguing, preserving, storing and placing the items. The Istanbul Archaeology Museum alone has more than 25,000 confiscated artefacts in its stores.
The investigations and legal cases for most of these artefacts are still ongoing, and according to state law the nearest museum is obligated to take responsibility for the confiscated items. Most of the pieces are intercepted in Istanbul, thereby leaving Istanbul Archaeology Museum with the cumbersome collection. The museum’s management is expected to care for the artefacts until the investigation is completed, at which time either the piece will be released, permanently added to the museum’s official collection, or sold to a collector via an auction.
Managers at Istanbul Archaeology Museum said the increasing number of confiscated artefacts is giving museums across the country hard time, as resources are stretched thin to cover the costs of preserving and protecting the pieces brought in by law enforcement while the museums’ staff are also counted on to act as experts in the legal procedures.
With more than 25,000 confiscated historical artefacts crowded into its storage depot, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is particularly affected by the overload. Museum officials said the museum’s stores would be full to capacity even without the added burden of the confiscated items.
“We are waiting for a decision by the court to alter the status of the artefacts,” said a representative from the museum management team, adding that upon the decision from the court they should be able to officially include the artefacts in the museum’s inventory. “However, even as we wait, the police and gendarmerie keep bringing new artefacts to the museum. We need to solve the storage room problem in the museum as soon as possible.”
Taking legal action against smuggling
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has increased its legal efforts to bring artefacts that were smuggled out of the country back to their homeland, but the process is lengthy and expensive.
A report prepared by the Turkish General Directorate of Security and Smuggled artefacts said the artefacts enrich the cultural heritage of the museums but that they must be kept in suitable, climate-controlled storage rooms. The report of the directorate also said the historical artefact smuggling trade operates internationally and with a high level of professionalism. The smugglers have their own techniques as they smuggle artefacts into other countries.
The directorate also said they were doing everything they could to bring Turkey’s valuable items back to the country through legal channels, though the process was very expensive. The directorate’s report said a total of $17 million was paid to the United States to bring back the U?ak-Karun Treasures and Antalya Elmaly Coins. According to the report, lots of Anatolian historical artefacts are still in other countries and waiting to be brought back to Turkey. The report also said many of the artefacts were stolen and sold to other countries for very high figures.
Another risk that experts highlighted was imitations of historical artefacts. The experts said it is also possible to create imitations and sell them on the black market. Historical artefact smugglers use technical systems to create perfect imitations and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
Author: Omer Erbil | Source: Hurriyet Daily News [August 08, 2011]
 |
| With more than 25,000 confiscated historical artefacts crowded into its storage depot, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is particularly affected by the overload [Credit: Hurriyet] |
Last year in Turkey the gendarmerie and police confiscated more than 68,000 historical artefacts from nearly 5,000 people trying to smuggle the valuable historical items out of the country.
Each year the stock of artefacts seized from smugglers continues to grow and museum managers are increasingly facing problems in handling, cataloguing, preserving, storing and placing the items. The Istanbul Archaeology Museum alone has more than 25,000 confiscated artefacts in its stores.
The investigations and legal cases for most of these artefacts are still ongoing, and according to state law the nearest museum is obligated to take responsibility for the confiscated items. Most of the pieces are intercepted in Istanbul, thereby leaving Istanbul Archaeology Museum with the cumbersome collection. The museum’s management is expected to care for the artefacts until the investigation is completed, at which time either the piece will be released, permanently added to the museum’s official collection, or sold to a collector via an auction.
Managers at Istanbul Archaeology Museum said the increasing number of confiscated artefacts is giving museums across the country hard time, as resources are stretched thin to cover the costs of preserving and protecting the pieces brought in by law enforcement while the museums’ staff are also counted on to act as experts in the legal procedures.
With more than 25,000 confiscated historical artefacts crowded into its storage depot, the Istanbul Archaeology Museum is particularly affected by the overload. Museum officials said the museum’s stores would be full to capacity even without the added burden of the confiscated items.
“We are waiting for a decision by the court to alter the status of the artefacts,” said a representative from the museum management team, adding that upon the decision from the court they should be able to officially include the artefacts in the museum’s inventory. “However, even as we wait, the police and gendarmerie keep bringing new artefacts to the museum. We need to solve the storage room problem in the museum as soon as possible.”
Taking legal action against smuggling
Meanwhile, the Turkish government has increased its legal efforts to bring artefacts that were smuggled out of the country back to their homeland, but the process is lengthy and expensive.
A report prepared by the Turkish General Directorate of Security and Smuggled artefacts said the artefacts enrich the cultural heritage of the museums but that they must be kept in suitable, climate-controlled storage rooms. The report of the directorate also said the historical artefact smuggling trade operates internationally and with a high level of professionalism. The smugglers have their own techniques as they smuggle artefacts into other countries.
The directorate also said they were doing everything they could to bring Turkey’s valuable items back to the country through legal channels, though the process was very expensive. The directorate’s report said a total of $17 million was paid to the United States to bring back the U?ak-Karun Treasures and Antalya Elmaly Coins. According to the report, lots of Anatolian historical artefacts are still in other countries and waiting to be brought back to Turkey. The report also said many of the artefacts were stolen and sold to other countries for very high figures.
Another risk that experts highlighted was imitations of historical artefacts. The experts said it is also possible to create imitations and sell them on the black market. Historical artefact smugglers use technical systems to create perfect imitations and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
Author: Omer Erbil | Source: Hurriyet Daily News [August 08, 2011]