Joint Cooperation Step Between Turkey and Denmark in the Field of Return of Cultural Assets
At the meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, in cooperation with UNESCO, Turkey and Denmark emphasized that the returns of cultural assets have evolved into long-term partnerships.
Turkey and Denmark shared with the international public opinion how the processes of returning cultural assets have evolved into long-term and sustainable institutional partnerships at the meeting held in Geneva in cooperation with UNESCO.
Regional Dialogue Meeting in Geneva
The Regional Dialogue meeting held in Geneva in cooperation with the Swiss Confederation and UNESCO brought together numerous experts to discuss new cooperation models in the field of the return of cultural assets.
At the meeting, Turkey and Denmark brought an exemplary cooperation showing that return processes have transformed into mutually beneficial partnerships to the international platform.
Joint Presentation and Historical Process
Zeynep Boz, Head of the Anti-Smuggling Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Gertrud Hvidberg Hansen, Director of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum, made a joint presentation.
In the presentation, the process leading to the return of the bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus originating from the Ancient City of Boubon to Turkey and the dialogue established were shared with the participants.
Ancient City of Boubon and Scientific Research
The Ancient City of Boubon in the Gölhisar district of Burdur had been subjected to illegal excavations in the 1960s, and the bronze head was included in the Glyptotek collection in 1970.
Scientific research conducted by Turkey's first female archaeologist, Prof. Dr. Jale İnan, had revealed that the head and body parts belonged to the same statue.
Returned Artifacts
As a result of the official initiatives and transparent dialogue initiated by the Ministry in 2023, the bronze head belonging to Septimius Severus and 48 terracotta plaques smuggled from Düver were returned.
Before being returned, the artifacts were introduced to the public through a special exhibition held at the Glyptotek museum in Denmark.
Forward-Looking Institutional Partnerships
Following the completion of the legal process, a strong institutional cooperation process between the two countries was officially put into practice.
It was announced that the statue pieces in the collection of the Burdur Archaeology Museum reached Denmark for the exhibition in Copenhagen and new exhibitions are planned in the future.