By Editorial Board
Lost luggage? Missed flight connection? Here’s the vacation nightmare of nightmares: Thrown in a Turkish prison for a crime you didn’t commit. report Chicago Tribune
So it went last November for Martin O’Connor, who visited Istanbul with a group from Chicago’s Old St. Patrick’s Church and unwittingly ran afoul of Turkey’s broad, punitive restrictions on the removal of antiquities.
O’Connor simply behaved like a tourist. He visited Istanbul’s spectacular Grand Bazaar, a sprawling, covered arcade of shops peddling carpets, mosaic tiles and other trinkets. There, according to a recent Tribune story by Jason Meisner, O’Connor spied a ceremonial sword with a curved handle — from the early 1900s, so the shop owner said. Would look great on a living room wall in Chicago.
Maybe someday.
At Ataturk Airport, O’Connor, returning home with his wife, was pulled from a security line because the sword appeared to be antique. His flight was rebooked and he waited at the airport, in custody, for officials from the Topkapi Palace Museum to examine the sword and clear it for export. Their verdict, a police officer reported back to O’Connor: “Sword very old. Problem.”
Countries have an obligation to safeguard their cultural histories, an especially acute issue in places of chaos and war such as Iraq and Syria, where the smuggling of priceless artifacts is rampant. Turkey, with its long history, remains vulnerable partly because the country teems with accessible archaeological sites.
The Grand Bazaar is not one of those isolated locations. It’s one the most popular tourist attractions in the world, in the center of the Old City. And that beautiful necklace displayed in a shop window? More likely it was made in modern China than in ancient Troy.
The issue with Turkey’s aggressive efforts to protect its heritage is the way the law’s breadth can ensnare unsuspecting tourists. O’Connor’s not the only one to fall victim. All historic sites, even the pebbles, are property of the government. Carpets and all other articles more than a century or two old also can be considered protected. Get caught with a suspected artifact, even a rock, and you’ll be arrested, held for trial and, if convicted, serve years.
Following the rules is tricky, if not impossible. Some antiquities can be taken from the country, but only from authorized dealers, according to a website warning from the U.S. Embassy in Ankara. A shopkeeper’s certificate clearing an authentic-looking souvenir may not be good enough. “Seemingly the only way to make sure that everything is in order is for the traveler to take the replica item to a local museum and get a certificate stating it is not an antiquity,” the embassy said.
Neither O’Connor nor the shopkeeper thought there would be any problem with the sword, and O’Connor certainly didn’t fit the profile of a smuggler. He used a credit card to buy his $500 conversation piece, a story he had time to tell … in Maltepe Prison. He spent a week in custody, enduring awful conditions as his frantic family spent thousands to secure his release. O’Connor said that if he didn’t have political connections (his wife’s brother is a state senator) he might still be in jail.
O’Connor got home a few weeks later, and later he heard from a Turkish court: The museum expert was wrong. The sword was standard-issue, 20th-century, not a protected antiquity. Because that decision is under appeal, he may not get his sword for two years. At least he has his freedom.
This should serve as a warning to tourists … and to the government of Turkey. This no way for a country to attract foreign visitors or protect its heritage. Turkey can make some straightforward changes to the enforcement of its antiquities law to ensure that tourists and others who buy souvenirs from reputable shops don’t get treated as smugglers. An official seal or certificate should be enough to confirm legitimate purchases. And if there is a question at customs, allow travelers some options for resolving the transaction, or canceling it, that don’t involve arrest.
In the meantime, pass the word: Turkey is a delightful destination, but be very careful. Overpaying for souvenirs is the least of your worries.
