The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, announced on social media that 19 artefacts returned this year from the UK, Italy, and the USA have been reintroduced into Turkey's cultural heritage.
The number of artefacts returned to Turkey since 2002 has reached 12,139 thanks to ongoing efforts, with 7,823 of those returned since 2018.
Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stated, "We continue to protect our history and cultural heritage. In 2024, we ensured the return of 19 more artefacts. With great diligence and determination, we have reclaimed these valuable artefacts from the UK, Italy, and the USA, bringing them back to our country. Since 2002, we have increased the number of artefacts returned to Turkey to 12,139 and since 2018 to 7,823. Every piece of these lands is a witness to our history and culture, and we are determined to preserve and pass them on to future generations."
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Natural formations, monuments, and sites of international importance and, therefore, deserving of admiration and protection are granted "World Heritage" status. The process begins with member states that have accepted the convention submitting applications to UNESCO. These applications are then evaluated by experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). After this evaluation process, the nominated sites are granted this status based on the decision of the World Heritage Committee.
As of 2021, 1,154 cultural and natural properties are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List globally, including 897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed (cultural/natural) properties. This number increases with each annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee. Detailed information can be found on the official website of the World Heritage Center at [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list]
Thanks to the efforts carried out under the responsibility of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, 19 properties from Turkey have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List so far. Some of these properties are listed below:
- Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital (Sivas) [1985]
- Hattusha (Boğazköy) - The Hittite Capital (Çorum) [1986]
- Mount Nemrut (Adıyaman - Kahta) [1987]
- Xanthos-Letoon (Antalya - Muğla) [1988]
- City of Safranbolu (Karabük) [1994]
- Archaeological Site of Troy (Çanakkale) [1998]
- Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex (Edirne) [2011]
- Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük (Konya) [2012]
- Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape (İzmir) [2014]
- Bursa and Cumalıkızık: The Birth of the Ottoman Empire (Bursa) [2014]
- Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens [2015]
- Ephesus (İzmir) [2015]
- Archaeological Site of Ani (Kars) [2016]
- Aphrodisias (Aydın) [2017]
- Göbeklitepe Archaeological Site (Şanlıurfa) [2018]
- Arslantepe Mound (Malatya) [2021]
