The ban, according to Turkish authorities, to act as long as no restitution disputes will be settled with the Metropolitan Museum, British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum

Prince Charles and the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia in the UK Nawaf Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin
at the "Hajj: A Journey to the heart of Islam»
in the British Museum
Source: Turkey refuses to provide the items on show at leading British and American museums for as long as no questions will be settled on the disputed antiquities within their collections, reports The Artnewspaper. Because of the ban imposed by the Turkish authorities and museums of the country until no longer cooperate in the preparation of exhibitions with the New York Museum of Metropolitan (Metropolitan Museum of Art), as well as London's British Museum (British Museum) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum (V & A)).

This measure has already adversely affected the work of the British Museum, which is now expected for the passing of the exhibition « Hajj: A Journey to the heart of Islam » to get a Turkish museum 35 items. Although museums were willing to provide artifacts, the Ministry of Culture banned them do it, and the British Museum urgently had to find a replacement planned exhibits.

Representatives of the Metropolitan Museum confirmed that Turkey claims the number of items from his collection, but declined to specify exactly what items we have in mind. Very soon, the museum should open the exhibition "Byzantium and Islam" (will be held from March 14 to July 8). Many items in the exhibition were taken from the Benaki Museum in Athens, but the Turkish museums because of the situation in preparation for the exhibition were not involved.

Tolga Tuyluoglu (Tolga Tuyluoglu), the Turkish representative for culture and tourism in London, confirmed that Turkey has insisted on the return of two artifacts from the collections of the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Despite the fact that between the Turkish and British cultural organizations' good relations, "said the official, the Turkish government," before discussing the issues of providing the works on exhibition, "definitely wants to solve the problem with these two subjects.

The Turkish government insists, in particular, on the to the British Museum returned the country stone stele of the first century BC, which depicts the king, Antiochus Epiphanes I, in the guise of Hercules greeting Veretragny (the god of victory in the Iranian mythology). stele was discovered in 1882 by Samsatom (Turkey). Its height is a , 2 meters, and, as it was used as a press for olive oil, in its center is a hole. Stella was purchased from the Turkish side in 1911, archaeologist Leonard Woolley (Leonard Woolley), who was then with the permission of the authorities led the Ottoman Empire excavations at Carchemish. After the First World War, when the territory of Carchemish was under French jurisdiction, Wooley with the permission of the French government sold the stele to the British Museum.

Although the first Turkey has declared its rights for the stele in 2005, no decisive steps towards return of the Turkish authorities have not taken, and the exchange of artistic values ​​between the museums of Great Britain and Turkey continued. claims about Turkey on the monument in 2011 reminded the country's ambassador to the UK Unal Cevikoz (Unal Cevikoz). This happened after the appointment of a new head of department for museums and cultural heritage of Osman Murat's Wort (Osman Murat Suslu). Mindful of the time was preparing the exhibition "Hajj", The British Museum was willing to make concessions: Mecca, now located in Saudi Arabia, from 1517 to 1916 belonged to the Ottoman Empire, so that many Islamic artifacts associated with the hajj, of course, were in Turkish museums. However, as mentioned above, a compromise on this issue to achieve and failed.

Press Secretary of the British Museum announced The Artnewspaper: «Museum pleased to discuss the possibility of granting temporary stelae at standard conditions, in such cases. However, the board of trustees is not ready to accept the transfer of property rights, and firmly believes that the subject must remain in the collection of the museum, where he demonstrated in the context of the history of world culture to audiences around the world. "Currently, the stele is in the Middle East exhibition galleries of the museum.

Victoria and Albert Museum ran into problems during the preparation of the exhibition" The Ottoman Empire " , which by definition can not do without the items from the Turkish museums. Exhibition in London should tell the public about the development of art since the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 and until the XIX century. Its opening was originally scheduled for 2014, then was postponed for a year, and now again deferred - as long as that for an indefinite period.

Turkey wants to receive from the collection of the museum's head of the child (Eros) from the famous sidamarskogo sarcophagus (3rd century BC. e.), separated from him in 1882, archaeologist Charles Wilson (Charles Wilson). In 1933, head to the Museum of Victoria and Albert's family Wilson. Item is in store Museum V & A, and that the sarcophagus - on display in Istanbul Museum of Archaeology.

A spokesman for Victoria and Albert Museum said that the item was legally acquired and no reason to give up ownership of its institutions have not, and noted that the Turkish side has been offered the option of long-term loan of the object. Meanwhile, the museum confirmed that did not abandon the intention to hold an exhibition on the art of the Ottoman Empire: it will happen as soon as negotiations with the Turkish side to provide exhibits for the exhibition will move forward. However, in the context of measures taken by the Turkish side, and the tough stance taken by the British Museum, a compromise still be problematic.

Prepared by Mary Estrova, AI

Source : artinvestment.ru