Dionysos Statue To Be Given Back To Turkey

ANKARA - Turkey won the legal fight for bringing the bronze Dionysos Statue back in.
In a case in Britain, the judge decided on giving the bronze statue of God Dionysos belonging to 200 B.C. Hellenistic era, back to Turkey.
The bronze statue which is currently under protection in the British Museum will be brought back to its motherland through a diplomatic courier at the end of this month with company of a technical delegation from the Culture Ministry.
Sources said on Friday that in the case heard in British capital London, it was proved that the statue had been smuggled from Turkey and the judge decided on October 16 that the bronze statue should be brought back to Turkey.
The statute was seized by Swiss authorities and later it was handed over to Britain under condition of ''sending it back to its motherland''. However, British citizen Sara Elizabeth Dayman filed a lawsuit requesting the court to hand over the statue to her under a business relationship between her and Turkish citizen Nevzat Telliagaoglu.
Upon the warning of the Scotland Yard officials, the Turkish Embassy in London stated that the Culture Ministry should also be represented in the case through a British lawyer.
A British lawyer assigned by the Culture Ministry on behalf of Turkey submitted documents and gave information to the court that the statue had been smuggled from Turkey. And the judge decided on October 16 on giving the statue back to Turkey.
Meanwhile, works of art that have been given back to Turkey as a result of Culture Ministry's and Turkish Interpol's efforts are as follows:
Afrodisias Works of Art (1980),
Bronze Vase (1982),
Herakles Tomb (1998),
Bogazkoy Tablets (1924, 1942, 1987),
Ottoman Tombac (1991),
Elmali Coins (1988, 1991, 1992, 1999),
Lidia Artifacts (1993),
Tomb (1994),
Marsyas Statue (1994),
Afrodisias Block (1994),
Marble Female Bust (1997),
Lead Seal (1998),
Silver Tobacco Box of Ataturk (1998),
Works of Art in Henkel Collection (1998),
Wooden Panel of Great Mosque in Divrigi (1999),
Works of Art in Wreckage of Ship in the English Channel 1999),
Decoration Panel of Esrefoglu Mosque (1999),
Works of Art seized at Heathrow Airport in London (2000),
Two pieces of mosaic stolen from ancient city of Zeugma (2000),
Koran stolen from Nuruosmaniye Library (2000),
Works of Art seized at customs gate in Oklahoma (2000),
Bust stolen from ancient city of Afrodisias (1994),
Female Statue stolen from garden of Izmir Museum (1995),
Gate stolen from Birgi Aydinoglu Mehmet Bey Mosque in Izmir (1995),
Torso stolen from Open Air Museum in Erdek (1995).