Mikail Patrick Duggan, an Irish art historian and lecturer at the Mediterranean Civilizations Research Institute, conducts research on Seljuk art history in Antalya, where he moved 27 years ago after being impressed by the city's historical fabric.
"The number of works from the ancient period smuggled from Turkey is high and they are being brought back with intense initiatives. This is good and legitimate work. However, I think there is not enough of an attempt for the Anatolian-Islamic pieces smuggled out of different cities of Anatolia," Duggan said.
Conducting research on Turkish history and having taken the name Mikail after converting to Islam, Duggan focused on Seljuk art. Duggan is researching some of the the earliest Islamic art in Anatolia.
He told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he decided to do research the Islamic world and the territories Alexander the Great conquered. Explaining that he walked 5,500 kilometers, passing through significant cities from Thessaloniki to Egypt, Duggan said that he converted to Islam when he was researching the religion.
Explaining that he traveled to various cities in Turkey and moved to Antalya because of his love for the Seljuks, he said that he watched the Yivli Minare Mosque (Fluted Minaret Mosque) for six hours and started to research the civilization. He has lived in Antalya since 1990.
Duggan says: "I moved to Antalya to paint pictures and do art history research, on the Seljuks in particular. I have been studying Seljuk art for 27 years. The Seljuk [sultan of Rum] in Anatolia, Ala ad-Din Kayqubad expanded the borders to Antalya. With his impact, I decided to do research on Seljuk art."
Duggan explained that he researched many works from the Seljuk period in Antalya, including the Ahi Yusuf Mosque, Alaaddin Mosque, Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev Madrasa, Evdir Caravanserai, Kırkgöz Caravanserai, Alanya Castle and shipyard, Soğucaksu Bridge in Aksu district, Sultan Pavillion in the Aspendos ancient theater in the Serik district, the hunting lodge in the Kemer district and Kargı Caravanserai in the Manavgat district.
He also mentioned that apart from Antalya, he has conducted research in various cities such as Konya, Erzurum, Niğde and Aksaray where there are many Seljuk buildings.
He said that while doing research about Seljuk art at home and abroad, he found out that a lot of Seljuk pieces were smuggled abroad from Anatolia. He added that even though he is happy that pieces from ancient periods have been brought back to Turkey, many works other than sarcophagi and statues are still abroad.
"The number of works from the ancient period smuggled out of Turkey is high and they are being brought back with intense initiatives. This is good and legitimate work. However, I think there is not enough of an attempt for Seljuk works smuggled out of different cities of Anatolia.
That is why, as an art historian closely acquainted with the West, I dedicated myself to revealing significant Islamic works smuggled out of Anatolia, specially Seljuk works. I found that most of them are in museums and some others are in special collections. The Culture and Tourism Ministry has some initiatives and attempts, but what escapes their notice is sold at special auctions. I try to identify them and inform the related institutions."
Emphasizing that one of the most significant Turkish-Islamic works smuggled abroad is İznik tiles, Duggan said that the pieces are displayed in museums and special collections in the U.K. He added that apart from them, there are examples in Paris and New York, and those pieces were smuggled from many Anatolian cities, Konya and Kayseri first among them.
Duggan remarked that even though Anatolian-Islamic works were smuggled mostly at the beginning of the 19th century, there are also artifacts smuggled recently. He said that a dual angel-embossed marble block that he thinks was smuggled from Konya, was sold on an auction site.
Citing that a calaite ring with a lion-head pattern on it was also sold at auction, Duggan said, "Not only the Roman and old civilization pieces, but also the Islamic works smuggled out of Anatolia are the product of this territory, so all efforts should be made to bring those back."
He continued by saying that Islamic works were smuggled both to the West and Arabic countries such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Referring to statements from Atatürk, Duggan said: "The foundation of Turkey is culture. Every artwork smuggled out of this country represents Turkey's culture. That's why all of them should be claimed."
Explaining that those who smuggled works from Anatolia did this for money, Duggan said: "Those who sold cultural assets for money cannot be from this civilization. They cannot be a member of Islamic civilization. This is what I think. Nobody from the West or Far East accepts the works of their civilizations to be displayed in another country. If the new generation doesn't see those works in their own country, how are they going to be aware of the existence of their own culture? This should be considered."
Mentioning that he found a chance to closely study both Western and the Islamic art, Duggan said: "All ornamentation in the Islamic art has a meaning. In all Seljuk works that I examined, I saw that ornamentation was done with logic. There is a meaningful, pure, easy-on-the-eye beauty. I examined the works of the Seljuk period. I did research about significant Seljuk works in Konya and Niğde. I am very impressed by the Islamic ornamentation."
In addition to saying that Seljuk culture and art were created through pure Turkic history, Duggan said that all the scientific, artistic and historical features of this deep-rooted and ancient civilization should be revealed and presented to the public.
He said that he will give a comprehensive presentation to the Culture and Tourism Ministry regarding the pieces of Seljuk and Anatolian-Islamic culture located abroad that he has identified.
Mahmut Demir, another lecturer at the Mediterranean Civilizations Research Institute, said that Duggan's excitement for researching Seljuk history is contagious.
"After encountering Islam, Mikail is continuing his colorful life in his studies on Seljuk art history. We see him as a great boon for our institute. He has a wide area of interests and publications in many fields. He focuses on Seljuk art and believes that the colors have various meanings with a different perspective from common art historians," Demir says.
