Turkey is making significant strides in preserving its rich cultural heritage and returning unlawfully smuggled antiquities to their homeland. The recent return of 100 historical items to Turkey from the USA is another clear testament to this. At a press conference held at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mehmet Nuri Ersoy presented these cultural heritage pieces to the public and officially opened the exhibition "No Way Out: Boubon".
As a result of international legal and scientific-diplomatic efforts led by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, many priceless artifacts testifying to Anatolia's centuries-old history have been returned to their homeland in recent times. Notably, when one of the auction houses in the USA put up Anatolian artifacts for sale in May 2026, the ministry promptly took relevant measures. As a result of providing scientific data and relevant documents to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the USA, the auction sale was halted and the return of these items to Turkey was ensured.
Matthew Bogdanos, Deputy District Attorney in Manhattan and Head of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, also participated in the event. In his speech, Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy emphasized that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the USA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, and the country's Consulate General in New York provided vital assistance during the process of returning the cultural heritage pieces. He also expressed gratitude to Turkish Airlines for securely delivering the historical artifacts to Turkey.
“Our goal is not simply to move historical items from one exhibition showcase to another, but to reevaluate them within the framework of their history and the cultural environment to which they belong,” said the minister. He emphasized that Turkey will continue its resolute fight against the illegal trafficking of cultural treasures.
100 Masterpieces Belonging to Anatolia
Among the cultural heritage pieces returned to Turkey, 40 historical items belonging to the Horoztepe area in the Erbaa district of Tokat province in the Central Black Sea region of the country hold a special place. Dating back to 2300-2000 BC, this collection consists of musical instruments used in rituals, weapons, and metal vessels, testifying to the high level of development of metalworking art in Anatolia as early as the Early Bronze Age. These antiquities, which were plundered nearly 70 years ago, were successfully returned to the country as a result of a comprehensive study of scientific and historical evidence from various scientific fields.
Another major collection consists of 44 ceramic decorative tiles belonging to the village of Duver in Burdur province. Dating back to the 6th century BC, meaning the archaic period, these tiles were used for roofing ancient buildings and cladding exterior parts. Their patterns, structure, and stylistic features were studied in-depth comparatively, and their origin history was meticulously checked based on archival documents and collection records. Part of this collection had been returned from the USA in 2022, from Denmark in 2024, and from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2025. With the return of the items kept in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the process of reuniting this unique collection was completed.
Among the returned cultural heritage pieces are also unique works of art such as a portrait depiction, theater masks, and goddess figurines belonging to the ancient city of Aphrodisias located in the Aydin province in southwestern Turkey.
Boubon Statues Assembled in One Place After Decades
The exhibition features magnificent bronze statues plundered from the ancient city of Boubon, located near the village of Ibecik in the Golhisar district of Burdur province. These statues were originally found in the Sebasteion temple dedicated to Roman emperors and members of the imperial family. However, during illegal excavations carried out in the 1960s, they were broken into parts and smuggled abroad secretly. In meticulous examinations, experts compared the connection marks between the foot parts and stone bases of the statues. Soil composition and lead isotope analyses also confirmed that these parts belonged to each other.
As a result, the head, torso, and limb parts of the statues, which had been scattered across various countries and international collections for decades, were brought together in one place within the scope of the exhibition. Among them, statues depicting Roman emperors Lucius Verus, Septimius Severus, Caracalla, and Marcus Aurelius hold a special place.
The return of these cultural treasures to Turkey has also given a new impetus to scientific research. In this regard, Turkish archaeologists are currently continuing archaeological excavation work restarted in Boubon in 2023, in coordination with the Burdur Archaeology Museum.
