Today there are many Turkish historical monuments and buildings abroad. Most of these monuments and buildings are located in the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa which constitute a part of the cultural heritage of the Ottoman Empire and serve today as a bridge between Türkiye and the countries concerned. Türkiye cooperates with the countries concerned for their protection.

Türkiye is the cradle of many civilizations. Consequently Türkiye is one of the countries in the world rich in historical monuments, antiques and ruins. This makes Türkiye the target of illegal trafficking of cultural heritage. Ceramics, china and pottery, clay tablets, coins, jewels, mausolea, monuments, statues smuggled out of Türkiye are today exhibited in several leading museums and private collections in the world. The Temple of Pergamum and the Treasures of Troia are few of Türkiye’s smuggled historical treasures. Pursuant to the initiatives taken by the competent Turkish authorities, restitution of some of the smuggled historical heritage to Türkiye has been possible.

Smuggling historical heritage out of Türkiye is subject to prosecution.