The final chapter in a decades-long saga of cultural heritage theft concluded today with the repatriation of 60 Cypriot antiquities seized from the late art smuggler Aydin Dikmen.
A ceremony at the Cyprus Museum marked the return of the artefacts, which range from prehistoric to 19th-century pieces, including ecclesiastical objects returned to the Church of Cyprus.
This final batch completes the recovery of 318 items initially confiscated by German authorities in Munich in 1997.
The event was attended by high-ranking officials, including the President of the Republic, the Archbishop of Cyprus, and the Minister of Justice and Public Order, underscoring the significance of this cultural victory.
Director of the Department of Antiquities, Giorgos Georgiou, detailed the arduous legal battle to retrieve the stolen artefacts, highlighting the multifaceted impact of war and occupation on cultural heritage.
Dikmen, a Turkish national, had plundered churches and archaeological sites in the occupied northern part of Cyprus following the 1974 Turkish invasion. His operation aimed to funnel these cultural treasures into the international black market. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 83.
Following a lengthy legal process, the Munich judicial authorities ruled in favour of Cyprus in 2013, paving the way for the gradual return of the stolen items.
Georgiou emphasised the ongoing efforts to combat the illicit antiquities trade, including strengthened legislation, international cooperation, and the development of a digital database for tracking stolen artefacts.
He acknowledged the invaluable contributions of various stakeholders, including the Church of Cyprus, the A.G. Leventis Foundation, Tasoula Hadjittofi, experts Johannes Decker and Katerina Chatzistyli and other international partners.
(Pictures by MATTPRESS)
