Press Releases

The Department of Antiquities of the Deputy Ministry of Culture announces that on 22^nd July 2024, a ceremony took place at the Cyprus Museum marking the repatriation of Cypriot archaeological and ecclesiastical objects that have returned from Munich. The ceremony took place in the presence of His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides. Addresses were delivered by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the Bishop of Karpasia, Mr Christophoros, on behalf of the Archbishop of Cyprus, and the Director of the Department of Antiquities, Dr Giorgos Georgiou. Ms Eftychia Zachariou, Curator of Antiquities and President of the National Committee for Combating the Looting and Illegal Trafficking of the Cultural Heritage, delivered a lecture titled “Repatriating Cultural Heritage: the experience of Cyprus”. Selected repatriated objects are exhibited in Room 14 of the Cyprus Museum where they will be on display until the beginning of August 2024.

On 20^th June 2024, important Cypriot archaeological and ecclesiastical objects that had been stolen and illegally exported by the looter Aydin Dikmen and held by the German authorities were repatriated. The repatriation of the objects in question constitutes the final act in a complex and important case that highlights the numerous and multifaceted consequences of war and occupation.

Many antiquities and ecclesiastical relics, stolen from areas occupied by the Turkish army after 1974, were found in the possession of Aydin Dicken in Munich in 1997. They were seized by the competent authorities in Munich and a long judicial process followed that ended in March 2013, when the judicial authorities of Munich rejected the appeal of Turkish looter Aydin Dikmen against the decision to repatriate antiquities and ecclesiastical objects that had been stolen. Two repatriations followed, with more than 200 archaeological finds and ecclesiastical relics returning to Cyprus in November 2013 and August 2015.

Among the objects repatriated on 20^th June 2024 are picrolite figurines and jewellery of the Chalcolithic period, plank-shaped figurines and pottery of the Early-Middle Bronze Age, clay bird-faced figurines and ritual vessels of the Late Bronze Age, as well as bronze weaponry. A significant part of the repatriated objects are ecclesiastical relics.

The successful outcome of this difficult case was a result of the joint efforts of various government departments and institutions, the National Committee for Combatting the Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Antiquities, as well as the Church of Cyprus, whose role is extremely crucial with regards to requests concerning ecclesiastical objects. Ms Tasoula Hadjitofi, former Honorary Consul of Cyprus in the Hague, played an important role in the case.

The Department of Antiquities wishes to thank Ms Katerina Hadjistyli, archaeologist/Byzantinologist, for assisting with the identification of the ecclesiastical objects, in collaboration with the Church of Cyprus.

A ceramic chariot (terracotta quadriga) of the Archaic Period (750-475 BC), which belonged to a private collection in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, was also repatriated on 20^th June 2024. The antiquity was identified online by the Department of Antiquities to be sold at an auction in January 2023 and the relevant requests were made. The Department of Antiquities wishes to thank the Cyprus Police, Interpol Cyprus and Eurojust for their significant contribution towards the repatriation of this Cypriot antiquity.

The Department of Antiquities, as the competent authority for the protection and management of the archaeological heritage of Cyprus, will continue its intensive efforts to protect the cultural heritage of Cyprus and that of other countries, in close cooperation with the National Committee for Combatting the Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Antiquities. These efforts include, among others, the intensification of efforts to locate, identify, claim and repatriate illegally exported antiquities, the control of imports of cultural objects, the development of new technologies in this field, intensifying training programs on issues related to the fight against the illicit trafficking of antiquities and the raising of public awareness, since members of the public play a crucial role in the protection of our common cultural heritage.

(EK/GS/IA)