Regarding the delivery of the 13th panel of the Gypsy Girl Mosaic, which was returned to Türkiye from the USA, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, "This panel, which has been added to the collection of our Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum, is an important acquisition that allows a more holistic scientific examination of Zeugma mosaics and contributes to the re-evaluation of the composition within its own context." he said.
In his speech at the delivery ceremony held at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Ersoy said that Zeugma was an important Roman city on the banks of the Euphrates River, bringing together the East and the West, where trade, art and culture were intertwined.
Stating that the mosaic, publicly known as the "Gypsy Girl", is one of the most well-known cultural symbols of not only Gaziantep but also Türkiye to the world, Ersoy stated that many panels of the mosaic were taken abroad illegally as a result of illegal excavations in the 1960s.
Ersoy reminded that as a result of the activities, they ensured the return of 12 panels of the floor mosaic and they were presented to visitors at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in 2018.
Emphasizing that they are making intense efforts to return the works belonging to Türkiye found abroad, Ersoy said:
"Today, we are happy to bring the 13th panel of the same composition, dated to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, to our Zeugma Mosaic Museum. The fact that the panel may belong to this large composition has been revealed by the research of Dr. Camila Felag from Grenoble Alpes University and the scientific evaluations of Zeugma Excavation Head Prof. Dr. Kutalmış Görkay. In the research conducted after these evaluations were conveyed to our Ministry, we determined that the panel was subject to sale and changed hands. We then took action with the United States authorities and requested information regarding the fate of the work. However, at that stage, we were informed that the buyer information was not available. Our Ministry's experts, who continued to monitor the process closely, determined that the panel was put up for sale again, in line with our previous requests and scientific evaluations. With the successful completion of the process carried out by the United States Internal Security Investigations Unit, we ensured the return of the work to our country. "It has once again shown that the struggle must be carried out in coordination with scientific research, legal mechanisms and international cooperation."
Stating that every cultural asset has its own story, a context to which it belongs and a whole that it completes, Ersoy said, "This panel, which has been added to the collection of our Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum, one of the largest mosaic museums in the world, is an important acquisition that allows the Zeugma mosaics to be examined more holistically from a scientific perspective and contributes to the re-evaluation of the composition within its own context. As the missing pieces return to their places, it not only completes a mosaic, it repairs a damaged memory, fills the gaps in the pages of history and "We bring together a cultural value with all the values it belongs to. When viewed from the perspective of these facts, it will be clear that behind each return is our will to protect our history, memory and cultural sovereignty." he said.
13 thousand 454 cultural assets were returned in 24 years
Reminding that a memorandum of understanding was signed with the USA in 2021 in the field of combating cultural property smuggling, Minister Ersoy said, "It is an extremely important instrument in preventing the legal entry of cultural assets illegally removed from Türkiye to the United States. I would like to share with the public once again that the memorandum in question, which is implemented in 5-year periods, has been extended for a new 5-year period this year. This decision is based on mutual trust, continuity and determination of cooperation between the two countries." "It is a concrete indicator that it continues to grow stronger and will continue to do so." he said.
Stating that activities are carried out meticulously and determinedly to detect, track and return cultural assets illegally taken abroad to the lands they belong to, Ersoy said:
"Thanks to this cooperation and will demonstrated at the table and in the field, we have ensured the return of 13 thousand 454 cultural assets to our country since 2002. We have realized 9 thousand 139 of these returns in the last 8 years. Our main goal in this fight is to bring to our country a preventive and holistic understanding of struggle against cultural asset smuggling, both in terms of social awareness and awareness, institutional cooperation and implementation, and to make this permanent and sustainable. In this regard, we have achieved the return of smuggled cultural assets in the country. "We are resolutely carrying out activities against excavations and smuggling of cultural assets, and we are constantly improving measures to effectively evaluate reports, intervene in incidents early, and protect our cultural heritage on-site. By disseminating education and awareness activities, we are also strengthening the society's awareness of protecting cultural heritage. We will continue our activities with the same determination, the same belief, and the same determination until every cultural asset illegally removed from these lands is returned to the land it belongs to."
Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber stated that Gaziantep is one of the provinces that benefited most from this in terms of returning historical artifacts to their homeland, and thanked those who contributed.
Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin emphasized that cultural heritage is the most important value and said that she was pleased to end the 60-year longing.
District mayors, Zeugma Excavation Head Prof. Dr. Kutalmış Görkay, Head of Carchemish Ancient City Excavations Prof. Dr. Nicolo Marchetti and other interested parties attended.
After the ceremony, protocol members visited the museum.