28 Artifacts Returned to Turkey, Including a Bronze Statue of Emperor Boubon and the Head of Demosthenes

JAKARTA - A number of historical artifacts of Turkey, including a bronze emperor statue smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, along with the marble head of Demosthenes and the terracotta tablet from Duver in Kayseri, have been repatriated from the United States after all necessary procedures were completed, said Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy last month.

"The lost Emperor Boubon has returned to our country. Through international cooperation and persistent legal efforts, we managed to return the bronze emperor statue smuggled from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur," said Minister Ersoy on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, as reported by Anadolu (1/1).

"This process is one of the best examples of the effective struggle and international cooperation we are doing around the world in an effort to preserve our cultural heritage," he said.

Furthermore, Minister Ersoy said that an American collector who had illegally purchased the statue would face arrest by a US court if he refused to return it, adding that the individual avoided prison by agreeing to hand over the artifact.

"Together with the statue of the emperor, the marble head of Demosthenes and the terracotta tablet of Duver will also be returned. In two separate ceremonies attended by our Deputy Minister Gokhan Yazgi, 28 priceless artifacts, including those previously repatriated through agreements, will return to their rightful homeland," he said.

Minister Ersoy revealed that around 9,133 cultural assets have been repatriated to Anatolia over the past seven years, reaffirming Turkey's continued commitment to protecting its cultural heritage and tracking artifacts around the world.

He thanked the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the US Department of Homeland Security and the Anti-Smuggling Department of the Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and Museums of Turkey.

According to the ministry, the return of the emperor's bronze statue was obtained through an investigation led by prosecutors and US security units.

The arrest warrant issued for collector Aaron Mendelsohn played a key role in the recovery of the artifact.

Officials said they worked with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the US Department of Homeland Security throughout the process and completed all necessary transfer procedures.

The repatriation of the marble column head depicting the Archangel Michael from the Metropolitan Museum of Art has also been completed.

Provenance research indicates that the object was illegally removed from the Monastery of the Virgin Mary Peribleptos in Samatya, Istanbul.