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The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that on 22 July the official handover ceremony of the repatriated archaeological and ecclesiastical objects from Munich took place at the Cyprus Museum, in the presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus. On 20 June 2024, antiquities and ecclesiastical relics that had been stolen and illegally exported by the antiquities thief Aydin Dikmen and detained by the German authorities were repatriated. The repatriation of the objects in question is the latest act in the complex and highly significant antiquities theft case of the well-known antiquities thief Aydin Dikmen, which among other things highlights the complex and multiple consequences of war and occupation.
The antiquities and church relics, which had been stolen from the areas occupied by the Turkish army after 1974, were found in the possession of Aydin Dicken in Munich in 1997. They were confiscated by the competent authorities in Munich, followed by years of legal proceedings, which ended on 18 March 2013, when the Munich judicial authorities rejected the appeal of the Turkish antiquities thief Aydin Dikmen against the decision to repatriate stolen antiquities and church relics.
Two repatriations followed, with over 200 archaeological finds and church relics returning to Cyprus in November 2013 and August 2015.
Among the objects that have been repatriated as of June 20 are picrolithic figurines and jewellery of the Chalcolithic period, sandstone figurines and vases of the Early-Middle Bronze Age, bird-shaped figurines and brooches of the Late Bronze Age, as well as bronze spearheads. An important part of the repatriated objects are ecclesiastical relics, mainly icons.
The successful outcome of this difficult case depends on the joint efforts of departments and institutions such as the members of the National Committee for the Suppression of Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Heritage and the heads of the departments they represent, the Church of Cyprus, whose contribution was and is crucial in any request concerning ecclesiastical objects
Along with the above antiquities, nine antiquities that had been illegally exported again by Aydin Dikmen were repatriated and purchased by Mrs. Katerina Chatzistyli, archaeologist/byzantinologist, at an auction. The Department of Antiquities wishes to thank Mrs Chatzistyli for the donation of these antiquities.
Also repatriated was a ceramic carriage (terracotta quadriga) of the Archaic Period (750-475 BC) which belonged to a private collection in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia. It was identified following a regular inspection by the Department of Antiquities as being sold at an online auction in Germany on 23/01/23. The Department of Antiquities wishes to thank the Cyprus Police, Interpol Cyprus and Eurojust for their significant contribution to the repatriation of this Cypriot antiquity.
The Department of Antiquities as the competent Department of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and management of the archaeological heritage of Cyprus will continue its intensive efforts to protect the cultural heritage of Cyprus and other countries, always in close cooperation with the National Committee for the Suppression of Illicit Trafficking and Illicit Traffic in Antiquities.
The Department of Antiquities as the competent Department of the Republic of Cyprus for the protection and management of the archaeological heritage of Cyprus will continue its intensive efforts for the protection of the cultural heritage of both Cyprus and other countries, always in close cooperation with the National Committee for the Suppression of Illicit Trafficking and Illicit Traffic in Antiquities. These efforts include, inter alia, the intensification of efforts to identify, claim and repatriate illegally exported antiquities, the control of imports of cultural objects, the development of new technologies in this field, the enhancement of the training of the staff of the competent authorities in the fight against illicit trafficking of antiquities and the raising of public awareness, whose role is crucial for the protection of our common cultural heritage.
(EC/AF/MS)
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