Turkish Department of Antiquities

Turkish Department of Antiquities
Name	Turkish Department of Antiquities
Formed	1920s
Jurisdiction	Republic of Turkey
Headquarters	Ankara
Parent agency	Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Turkish Department of Antiquities is the agency historically responsible for the protection, excavation, conservation, and administration of archaeological sites, monuments, and movable cultural property in the Republic of Turkey. Established during the early Republican period, it operated alongside institutions such as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and local museum directorates in cities like Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara, and Izmir. The department engaged with international missions from countries including France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States, and Italy and interfaced with organizations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, and ICCROM.

History

The agency traces roots to late Ottoman reforms exemplified by the Imperial Museum (Istanbul), the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums under the Ottoman Empire, and legislation like the Ottoman Antiquities Regulation of 1884. Republican restructuring in the 1920s and 1930s paralleled cultural policies of leaders including Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and ministers in Ankara, producing institutions that managed sites from Hattusa and Göbekli Tepe to Ephesus and Troy. The department coordinated with foreign directors such as Heinrich Schliemann's successors, Arthur Evans-era scholars, and later teams led by Sir Mortimer Wheeler, Carl Blegen, and Ernst Herzfeld. Postwar shifts brought interaction with bodies like UNESCO during inscription of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia and the Historic Areas of Istanbul on the World Heritage List.

Organization and Administration

Administrative structures evolved from provincial museum directorates to centralized bureaus in Ankara under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Units included departments for archaeological permits, conservation, movable property, and site protection, working with regional offices in Antalya, Burdur, Çanakkale, and Diyarbakır. Personnel blended career civil servants, field archaeologists trained at institutions such as Istanbul University, Ankara University, and Oxford University affiliates, and conservators who collaborated with ICCROM and university laboratories. Governance mechanisms referenced national statutes and administrative practices shaped by courts such as the Constitutional Court of Turkey when disputes arose.

Functions and Responsibilities

Mandates encompassed issuing excavation and export permits, cataloguing artifacts, enforcing site protection, and operating state museums including the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, Ankara Archaeological Museum, and Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The agency regulated foreign archaeological missions from institutions such as the British Institute at Ankara, American School of Classical Studies at Athens (in collaborations), École française d'Athènes-affiliated teams, and German missions linked to the Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. Responsibilities included emergency interventions at sites affected by development projects like the Ilısu Dam and safeguarding movable heritage during conflicts involving regions like Southeastern Anatolia.

Major Excavations and Projects

The department supervised or co-managed excavations and restorations at flagship sites: Troy (Hisarlik), Ephesus, Pergamon, Hattusa, Göbekli Tepe, Catalhöyük, Çatalhöyük (noting variant spellings in international literature), Mount Nemrut, and Aphrodisias. It coordinated rescue archaeology for infrastructure initiatives including the Bosphorus Bridge era developments and hydroelectric schemes like Atatürk Dam impacts. Conservation projects involved monumental restorations at Topkapi Palace, mosaics at Zeugma Mosaic Museum locales, and stone preservation at Nemrut Dağı. Collaborations extended to excavators such as John Garstang, Kenan Erim, James Mellaart, Hermann J. Kienast, and contemporary teams from Princeton University and University College London.

Collections, Museums, and Conservation

Collections under agency oversight ranged from Hittite archives from Hattusa and Assyrian reliefs from Karkemish to Greco-Roman statuary from Smyrna and Byzantine artifacts from Constantinople. Key state museums included the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and regional museums in Bodrum, Side, and Bursa. Conservation labs worked with materials specialists influenced by techniques promulgated at ICCROM and laboratories at CNRS collaborations. The department maintained inventories and provincial registries, and curated traveling exhibitions that toured venues in Paris, Berlin, London, New York City, and Rome.

Legal Framework and Cultural Heritage Protection

Legal instruments guiding action included Turkish constitutions, the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Property (No. 2863), and secondary regulations on excavation, export, and ownership. International agreements such as the UNESCO 1970 Convention and bilateral accords with countries like Greece, Italy, Germany, and France framed repatriation and loan practices. Enforcement involved coordination with law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities to counter illicit trafficking connected to transit points such as Istanbul Airport and antiquities markets historically active in cities like Antakya and Gaziantep.

International Collaboration and Controversies

The department engaged in scholarly exchange with institutions including UNESCO, ICOMOS, ICCROM, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Louvre, organizing joint excavations, training programs, and exhibitions. Controversies arose over ownership claims regarding artifacts excavated during the Ottoman period, disputes with foreign missions over publication rights involving figures like Carl Humann and A. J. B. Wace, and high-profile legal cases concerning repatriation of items linked to dealers and collectors in cities such as Geneva and New York City. Debates also accompanied infrastructure-driven salvage archaeology at projects like Ilısu Dam and heritage impact assessments for urban development in Istanbul and Antalya, provoking discourse among scholars affiliated with University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Leiden University, and regional heritage NGOs.

Category:Cultural heritage of Turkey