An aggressive campaign by Turkey to regain possession of the treasures of antiquity, which says were stolen throughout history, made a sphinx and gold objects from the rich past of the region, to return "home". But the campaign has caused protests and anger from some of the greatest museums in the world, which they consider Turkey's actions as a "cultural blackmail".
In their latest effort, Turkish officials filed a criminal denunciation judicial system of the country, demanding an investigation into what they call "illegal archaeological excavation" for 18 objects today constitute a significant part of the collection Norbert Schimmel in Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Last year, the Director General of Cultural Heritage of Turkey, Murat Suslu, sent a shocking ultimatum famous American museum officials: need to prove the origin of ancient figurines and gold cups in the collection, or otherwise Turkey will stop lending for real exhibitions. Turkey now says the threat has now become a reality.
"We know with 100 percent certainty that these items are from Anatolia," says Suslu, an archaeologist, referring to Turkey's region known for the remains of antiquity. "We simply wish to rimarrim what belongs to us and is ours."
Turkey's efforts have triggered an international debate over the question of who owns antiquity after many centuries of border movements. MET Museum, Getty, the Louvre and the Pergamon in Berlin say that their mission to expose the treasures of world art is currently under threat from Turkey tactics.
Museum directors say the repatriation requirements are changing practices gjithëpranuara so far as those stipulated in the UNESCO Convention, where museums are allowed to purchase items that were outside their country of origin before 1970. Although Turkey ratified the convention in 1981-shin, it now operates citing a 1906 Ottoman era law - a law that banned the export of artifacts - to claim ownership of all the objects that have come after that time.
Thefts and robberies are wrong, says Turkey, and no matter when they occurred. "The artifacts are the same as humans, animals or plants have souls and historical memory," said the Turkish Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay. "When they are repatriated to their country, outdoor balance is restored."
Turkey is not the only one seeking the return of artifacts that have been removed from it in the old days; Egypt and Greece have expressed similar claims against museums and Italy forced the museum to restore an ancient cup known as Eufronios 2006-n.
But Turkey's aggressive techniques, which have been in addition to strengthening its political empowerment in the Middle East before the Arab Spring, have been particularly alarming for museums. Officials in Turkey have started refuse treasures borrowing requirements, have delayed licenses for archaeological research or publicly criticized museums.
"The Turks are engaged in controversy and politics frightening," says Hermann Parzinger, president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, the foundation that oversees the Pergamon Museum. "They should be more careful when raising moral claims as long as their museums are full of stolen treasures" earned, he says, by the Ottomans during the centuries when it ruled large parts of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
An example of this is a very important sarcophagus named for Alexander the Great, discovered in Sidon, Lebanon, in 1887-n and already found in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. Suslu says the sarcophagus belonged to Turkey legally, because it was discovered in a territory that belonged to Turkey at the time.
Meanwhile, Turkey's campaign has seen considerable success. Last year, Pergamon refused to return a sphinx 3 thousand years old Hittite Empire Turkey claimed was taken from Germany for restoration in 1917. German officials said that Turkey has threatened to block the more important archaeological projects if sphinxlike not return.
But even though her request was fulfilled, Turkey again refused to cooperate and rejected the request to lend four objects for an exhibition. Suslu showed Pergamon must return many other objects before they resume lending process.
Parzinger said that Turkey has no legal right to require facilities discussed and that is treating Germany as a common thief. These measures, according to him, is put at risk more than a century of archaeological cooperation and damaging relations between the two countries, while Turkey seeks to join the European Union. He added that Westerners have been in the forefront for the salvation of Turkey's rich history.
"If all of us westerners qenkan just thieves," he asked, "then who has restored their cultural heritage?"
In another victory last month, the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, announced that they have agreed to lend Turkey for an unlimited time 24 arkifakte from ancient Troy, whose dubious origin has inspired Convention UNESCO 1970. In return, Turkey refused to lend its facilities for future museum exhibits. Some museums directors say they fear that the case filing jeopardizes other requirements by Turkey. University had bought these items 1966-n.
In September 2011, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, turned the upper half of a 1800-year-old statue of the titled "Hercules tired", which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took home triumphantly with his official plane. To force MET museum document collection facilities Schimmel, Turkish officials said they had refused to lend objects for an exhibition entitled "Byzantium and Islam: Age of Transition". But MET says it has applied for a loan from Turkey. Director, Thomas P. Campbell said in an interview, he believed that the objects claimed by Turkey were purchased legally by Norbert Schimmel European antiques market in the 60s before the museum dhuroheshin 1989-n and therefore comply with UNESCO Convention. He acknowledged that most of the objects have not documented ownership history, but there is no evidence either for or trafficking illegal excavations.
"If there is evidence that these items are excavated or stolen, we will treat the problem case by case basis," says Campbell. He adds that the argument that objects should always return to their countries of origin is doubtful, seeing that many artifacts have traveled across the centuries. "We are in the business of praises Turkey's culture," he said, "and it is major exhibitions in London, Paris and New York more than anything else that will encourage people to go to Turkey and explore their cultural heritage and not just sun and beach. "
Marc Masurovsky, an expert on looted art in Washington, says that it is no surprise that Turkey is heading conditional diplomacy to resolve such claims, due to the lack of an international agency for the implementation of measures against theft. But Turkey is facing obstacles to implement the plan Ottoman law outside its borders. Even if this law is applicable, proof of the date of the illegal excavation of any object is difficult because records are not kept.
However, Suslu says that nothing can justify the theft and noted the possession of some 16th century Iznik ceramics from the Louvre Museum. He says were stolen from French restorer Albert SORLIN-Dorigny 1880 n. Ceramics are from the mausoleum of Sultan Selim II in Istanbul and were sent to Paris for repairs, but the Louvre restorer gave 1895-n instead to turn Turkey.
Louvre did not respond to messages that were sent for comment. Turkish officials said the French insist that ceramics were given by a family member restorers sultan, but gave no documentary evidence for this.
"Who of sound mind can give as a gift something from a man to his grave in a foreign country?" Ask Suslu. "If you come into my house and steals a subject dear to me, I have not the right to ask you to return?"
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