How a Smuggled Statue Made Its Way Back To Türkiye

From East to West, Türkiye is a vast open-air museum, home to thousands of years of ancient history. But that richness has also made it a target for illegal excavations and artefact smuggling. Now, Ankara is on a mission to bring its cultural heritage home. Since 2002, it’s recovered more than 13,000 stolen pieces from abroad.

Next month, a bronze statue of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius will be officially returned to Türkiye, more than 60 years after it was smuggled out of the ancient city of Boubon. A formal handover ceremony was held at the Cleveland Museum of Art. In a landmark gesture, Greece returned a trove of ancient Lydian coins to Türkiye last December, the first time the two nations engaged in a cultural exchange of this kind. Ankara has also supported Greece’s campaign to retrieve the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum, while returning nearly 300 historical artefacts to other nations, with Egypt receiving the largest share.

Guests:
Burcu Ozdemir
Department of Illicit Tracking at Cultural Ministry

Kutalmis Gorkay
Zeugma Excavation Director

Thomas Zimmerman
Professor at Bilkent University