The Antalya Promotion Foundation (ANTAV) has launched a project on change.org called "Natural Heritage is Beautiful in Native Lands" to support the return of eight historical artifacts that were smuggled to other countries.

The number of supporters for the project has reached almost 25,000. When signatures reach 100,000, the request to return the artifacts will be submitted to UNESCO. Intensive efforts are being made for the return of priceless artifacts such as the Nereid Monument, Payava Sarcophagus, and Thyke Statue. Yeliz Gül Ege, the president of ATAV, stated that these artifacts were mostly stolen during the 19th century and earlier.

Currently, the campaign requests the return of the Nereid Monument, Harpy tomb, the tomb of Payava, a monument recovered in the ancient city of Xanthos, from the British Museum; Heroon of Trysa from Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna; a child gadroon from Myra sepulcher in Athens Museum; Thyke Sculpture from Belgium and finally the Sion Treasure from Dumbarton Oaks Museum Collection in the U.S.

Yeliz Gül Ege, the spokesperson for a civil society initiative campaigning against smuggling of cultural artifacts, stated that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Anti-Smuggling Department is working diligently as a leading institution in the fight against smuggling. The initiative has an international reach and involves volunteers from around the world, with the total number of signatures collected approaching 25,000.

"The Ministry has signed several protocols in recent years, including one with the United States, which enables the speedy return of artifacts that are found to have been smuggled out of the country. In addition, Turkish Airlines is responsible for transporting these artifacts back to Türkiye. The hope is that the ongoing menace of artifact smuggling can finally end with more stringent laws and penalties in place," she added.

Ege also mentioned that the foundation is actively pursuing a project to educate primary and secondary school students in areas close to ancient sites about the importance of protecting cultural artifacts. "For the past year, the Ministry has organized a team of experts who are responsible for raising awareness among students about their role in safeguarding these invaluable treasures. The project involves eight artifacts that were smuggled out of Türkiye in the 19th century or earlier, and efforts are currently underway to bring them back to their rightful home. While some progress has been made, work is underway in utmost secrecy to avoid jeopardizing the mission's success," she said.

Ege stated that the Antalya Museum acquired 12 works that were not a part of the campaign, "Some of them are exhibited temporarily; they are precious. Six artifacts were also returned to our city in November. A total of 18 works, belonging to us, are on display at the Antalya Museum. According to information received from officials, these works are original and there has been no damage. There are also works that we did not even know about, but the Ministry traced and located them. Efforts to bring them back are also ongoing. There will be good news soon," she elaborated.

Yeliz Gül Ege, hopeful that new works will return to Antalya, said, "We hope to regain them within a short span of time. The main purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness. People who take the easy way to make money are destroying our future. The past is the future. Around 400 to 600 works of art, large and small, are being returned to Türkiye. I am hopeful for 2023, and work is ongoing. New pieces may also return to Antalya in 2024. We cannot speculate the values of stolen artifacts. There are also significant expenses in bringing them back. But, protocols are signed to minimize such expenses or get rid of them," she added.

Returned artifacts

In March, 12 historical artifacts of Anatolian origin were seized in the United States and returned to Türkiye after a court decision following efforts initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The list of historical artifacts seized in the U.S. and returned to Türkiye includes two bronze bull carts, a Roman military diploma, a Neolithic mother goddess figurine, an Urartian terracotta vase, and a Roman bust. The bronze statue of Septimus Severus from Burdur's Bourbon Ancient City is among the important artifacts.

The statue of Roman Emperor Lucius Verus, Attis and Apollo figurines, a Kusura-type idol, a terracotta plate, and a four-piece columnar sarcophagus were returned to Türkiye thanks to the joint repatriation efforts of Turkish and U.S. authorities in November 2022. The human-sized bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Lucius Verus and the four-piece columnar sarcophagus from the ancient city of Perge in Antalya were the two most special items. On the other hand, the Verus statue is one of the rare human-sized bronze statues that have survived to the present day.