Stolen Hagia Sophia Tiles Traced to Three Paris Museums

Tiles missing from shrines and a library inside Istanbul's Hagia Sophia Museum have been located in three Parisian institutions, according to the museum's curator, Jale Dedeoğlu.

The pieces disappeared during restoration work carried out by French collector Albert Sorlin Dorigny between 1882 and 1896. Dedeoğlu said the original tiles were taken to France under the pretext of renovation, and counterfeits were returned in their place.

The theft came to light after a professor contacted Dedeoğlu to report seeing the tiles in storage at several Paris museums and provided photographs as evidence.

Investigators confirmed that tiles from the shrines of Sultan Selim II and Sultan Murat III, as well as from the Sultan Mahmut I library, are held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the Musée de Sèvres, and the Louvre.

Museum officials have compiled a formal dossier and forwarded it to Türkiye's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, requesting that the ministry pursue the return of the artifacts.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.