Minister Avcı asks for Zeugma mosaics to be returned

Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı has launched the opening of the Byzantine Hall in the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in the southeastern province of Gaziantep. 

Stating that the Zeugma Mosaic Museum is a venue displaying not only Turkey's but the world's important historical, cultural and archaeological artifacts, Avcı thanked those who contributed to the formation of the museum. 

"I hope Gaziantep will be better known in the world. We will continue working for the city's other artifacts to be included in the UNESCO permanent list of the world heritage," he added. 

The minister also mentioned that pieces of some mosaics in the Zeugma Museum have been stolen and taken to the Bowling Green State University in the U.S. state of Ohio and called on the university's academics to return them. 

"The mosaics are used as floor mosaics at the university. People ask me where the missing pieces are and I tell them that they are in the Bowling Green State University. It is not a nice thing for a university to be mentioned like this. We are ashamed of mentioning the name of the Bowling Green State University in this way. I call on them once again to return the artifacts that have been removed from Zeugma," he said.