The floral tiles offered for sale by an Oriental Art auction house have been returned to Ankara as a result of state-level talks between Turkey and the Netherlands.
Celik said the theft of art and cultural property was a “major crime” and “immorality”.
“Turkish institutions are closely monitoring the artifacts stolen from the country and ensuring their return to Turkey,” he added.
The 16th-century tiles, which were put up for sale at an auction of Islamic art on June 4, 2020, attracted the attention of experts from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Ankara. They learned that the tiles from the auction catalog had been stolen from Turkey.
At an auction entitled “Islamic and Asian Art” held at the same auction house on October 20, 2020, a panel of tiles offered for sale was also examined by experts.
A detailed investigation revealed that the tile panel had a star shape, which can be seen in the structures dating from the Anatolian Selcuk period from the end of the 11th century to the beginning of the 13th century. Examples of such tiles were found during archeological excavations in Konya.
The Interior Ministry in Ankara, the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Service and the Foreign Ministry have taken the initiative to return the tiles. They were included in Interpol’s Stolen Art Database.
Turkish officials contacted the auction house and provided evidence that the works had been illegally exported from Turkey.
The tiles were then delivered voluntarily to the Turkish embassy in The Hague by the auction house. After the procedures, the tiles were brought to Ankara and delivered to the Ethnographic Museum.
It is reported that some analyzes will be carried out before they are exposed in order to definitively determine the period of production of the tiles.
