Returned items reflect struggle to recover cultural heritage
A 60-year struggle to see stolen antiquities returned to the island has finally come to a close, the director of the antiquities department said on Monday at a ceremony to open an exhibition of some of the items.
“Today, we close a long and painful chapter, an effort that reflect our commitment to preserving our cultural heritage,” Vassos Karageorgis said.
A recently signed Historic Repatriation Agreement signals the final chapter of the Aydin Dikmen case involving the smuggling of antiquities, and saw 60 looted items returned to the island.
Turkish antiquities smuggler Dikmen, aided by the occupation regime and accomplices, was responsible for the removal of over 50 Greek Orthodox, Maronite and Armenian Christian monuments, as well as antiquities from occupied archaeological sites and private collections.
Among the thousands of objects seized from Dikmen’s antiquities smuggling operation in March 1997 were 318 relics of Cypriot origin, including mosaics from the 6th century, frescoes spanning the 8th to 15th centuries, icons, doors, manuscripts and various prehistoric artefacts.
“Today, 50 years after the invasion in 1974, we are still trying to collect the fragments of our culture that were looted and scattered to the winds,” Karageorgis said.
“This ceremony marks the closure of a significant chapter in the struggle to recover our cultural heritage.”
The Dikmen case dates back to 1997 when artifacts were discovered in his possession in Munich. The legal battle began in 2004 and saw its resolution in 2010 with the decision of the Munich District Court.
However, Dikmen’s subsequent appeal to the Court of Appeal led to the partial repatriation of 173 relics in July 2013 and another 85 in August 2015.
The final act of the Dikmen case unfolded with the signing of the repatriation agreement.
“Strengthened national legislation, international treaties, and agreements have been pivotal in these efforts, the department has also developed a detailed digital database to monitor online auctions of antiquities, in collaboration with the Cyprus police and Interpol,” Karageorgis said.
“The contribution of the department of antiquities in the Dikmen case is just one part of our extensive efforts to combat the looting and illegal trafficking of our archaeological heritage,” he added.
“Together with my colleagues, we strive daily to preserve what history and time have handed down to all Cypriots, as tools of self-awareness, confidence, and dignity.”
According to the Director of the Office for Combating Illegal Possession and Trafficking of Antiquities Michalis Gavrielides, over 16,000 Christian icons, mosaics and murals dating from to 6th and 5th centuries have been forcibly stolen and sold abroad since the Turkish invasion in 1974.