Forwarded from the Museum Security Network http://museum-security.org/
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Stolen Koran was offered to Christie's
BY MICHAEL THEODOULOU IN NICOSIA AND DALYA ALBERGE
(Times of london: http://www.the-times.co.uk/ )

   SCOTLAND YARD is investigating claims that a Turkish gang tried to 
smuggle a stolen 11th-century gold-embroidered Koran into Britain, 
to sell at an auction house.

   A man, one of three arrested in the self-declared Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus over attempts to export antiquities, was found to have 
a fax from a director of Christie's inviting him to bring the Koran to
its London saleroom. According to police in Northern Cyprus the manuscript
was recovered two months ago when a Turkish Cypriot businessman, aged 36,
one of the three, was arrested as he boarded a plane to Britain. 

   The case of the missing "Topkapi Koran" shows the increasing dangers
facing British art dealers and auction houses in being offered stolen art.
Police say it is a fast-growing international crime. The manuscript 
had been stolen from the Topkapi Palace museum in Istanbul last year.
There was outrage in Turkey over the lax security when it was realised
there were no alarms on the glass display case. The thief had spent
the night in the museum and walked out with the Koran as the museum
reopened for business next morning. Art dealers have confirmed that the
Topkapi Koran could have fetched hundreds of thousands in a private sale.

   It is understood that one of the three arrested in Cyprus had
contacted Christie's asking them to sell the handwritten Koran. The Yard's 
Organised Crime Group is studying correspondence between Christie's
and the man. There is no suggestion that Christie's behaved in any way
improperly. Its London office had been sent photographs of the Koran.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said it was liaising with Christie's,
which "has offered their full co-operation during our investigation". 
A spokesman for Christie's said: "We have consulted and worked with
the art and antiques squad from Scotland Yard. We very much co-operated
from the outset." 

   Officials at Christie's refused to say what part, if any, they played
in the undercover operation in Cyprus to recover the Koran. As well as 
the three men arrested there a middle-aged man from North London, believed
to be a contact of the three, was arrested in Britain on suspicion of
handling stolen goods but released on bail. 

   A lawyer on Cyprus, Mentesh Aziz, acting for the three men there, told
The Times that an associate of one of them had contacted the auctioneers.
A fax was then sent to one of the three on May 24 by William Robinson,
director of Christie's Islamic art and carpet department, who noted the
seller's wish for a "private sale". Thanking him for two earlier faxes, 
he added: "From these, I gather that the Koran is under your control." In 
the next paragraph Mr Robinson wrote: "While I am not able to guarantee 
a successful sale by the end of this week, I will proceed with the sale 
as quickly as I possibly can. We have a number of clients who would 
be interested to own such a spectacular piece. In order to recommend it 
to them, however, I must see the original. This is partly to be able
to know exactly what I am recommending to our valued clients."

   This fax was forwarded to the Organised Crime Group soon after 
the operation at Ercan airport. Officials at Christie's would not say 
last night if their suspicions were raised when first offered the Koran.
The North London man has been bailed until later this month as detectives
intensify their international investigation. They are co-operating with
security chiefs of Northern Cyprus, a republic recognised only by Turkey.

   Of the three men arrested in Northern Cyprus two have pleaded guilty 
to illegal possession of antiquities and failing to declare them. Both
Muhlis Ciftci, 37, and Metin Karahan, 35. have been jailed, although
given lenient sentences instead of the ten years they could have faced.
Ciftci received two years for illegal possession of antiquities and
another year for failing to declare imported antiquities. Karahan was
given 18 months on the first charge and nine months on the second. 
The third man, Gurdal Mehmetcik, who was allegedly caught with the
Topkapi Koran in his possession, faces three charges: illegal possession,
failure to declare and attempting to export antiquities. He has pleaded
not guilty to all three and his trial was adjourned until November.

   Mr Aziz, attorney for the three suspects in Northern Cyprus, said 
that Mr Mehmetcik claims he did not know that it was the stolen Koran,
had not intended personally to take it to Britain and was the victim 
of a police attempt to "trap him into an offence". Northern Cyprus has
long been regarded as a favourite route for art smugglers. The Koran
has been returned to the Topkapi Palace museum.

   The ornate manuscript was written by Osman el-Huseyin and was a 
prime exhibit. While referred to as a Koran in the Christie's fax and 
the Turkish Cypriot media, Mr Aziz said that the rare handwritten text 
was part of an "encyclopaedia" in 14 chapters explaining verses from the
Koran. The book recovered in Northern Cyprus was the tenth chapter, one of
three chapters in the world that has survived the centuries, Mr Aziz said.
An official from the Topkapi confirmed to police that it had been stolen
from the museum, which has the most extensive collection of antique Korans
in the world. The document was scripted in 1091 under the Saljuks, a
Turkmen dynasty that was a key force in western Asia from the 11th to
13th centuries.

   A leading British dealer said last night that the case showed the
difficulties of keeping check on items stolen worldwide.  He said that,
even though he specialises in Islamic manuscripts, he had been unaware 
of this theft. Mark Dalrymple, chairman of the Council for the Prevention
of Art Theft, said that there was "a gradually mounting awareness that
auctioneers and dealers really do need to ask questions" about a work's
provenance before entering into any transaction.

http://museum-security.org/

and the Netherlands Museums Association
(http://www.museumvereniging.nl/)

2001 National Conference on Cultural Property Protection:
http://natconf.si.edu/


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%