Cultural Heritage and Museum Cooperation Between Turkey and Denmark
Turkey-Denmark relations, which began with the return of cultural assets, were shared with the international public at a UNESCO meeting and have evolved into joint exhibitions.
The process that began with the return of the bronze head of Septimius Severus originating from Boubon and 48 Düver plaques from Denmark within the scope of Turkey's efforts to recover cultural assets was shared with the international public at the UNESCO Regional Dialogue meeting held in Geneva, turning into a long-term cooperation.
Shared at the UNESCO Meeting in Geneva
The Regional Dialogue meeting, organized by the Swiss Confederation in cooperation with UNESCO at the Geneva International Conference Centre, brought together state representatives and museum professionals.
At the meeting, Turkey, together with Denmark, brought a remarkable example to the international platform demonstrating how restitution processes can transform into sustainable partnerships.
Joint Presentation Held
Zeynep Boz, Head of the Department for Combating Smuggling of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Gertrud Hvidberg Hansen, Director of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum, delivered a joint presentation.
Boz and Hansen shared with the participants the process leading to the return of the bronze head belonging to Septimius Severus to Turkey and the dimension of cooperation reached by the dialogue established during this process.
Prof. Dr. Jale İnan's Researches
Boubon Ancient City in Burdur was subjected to illicit excavations in the 1960s, and the bronze head of Septimius Severus entered the Glyptotek collection in 1970.
Turkey's first female archaeologist, Prof. Dr. Jale İnan, had brought the head and torso pieces side by side at the Glyptotek in 1979, revealing that the two elements belonged to the same statue.
Returned Artifacts and Exhibition Preparations
As a result of the official initiatives launched by the Ministry in 2023, the bronze head as well as 48 terracotta architectural plaques originating from Düver, Burdur, were returned to Turkey.
Before the artifacts were transported to Turkey, they were introduced with a special exhibition at the Glyptotek, while the statue parts in the Burdur Archaeology Museum were also sent to the exhibition in Copenhagen.