Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has demanded that France return china tiles stolen from Sultan Selim II’s tomb at the Hagia Sophia during a so-called restoration in the 1890s.
Some 60 Iznik tiles were stolen by Albert Dorigny of France in 1895 and replaced with imitation tiles under the pretext of restoration of the sultan’s tomb in the Hagia Sophia complex. The stolen tiles were later displayed in Paris’ Louvre museum.
Dorigny, who was Sultan Abdülhamit II’s dentist, brought the tiles to France on the pretext of cleaning them, but the tiles that returned were fakes.
The fake tiles, which were added to the left side of the entrance door, can be easily identified by a stamp indicating they were made in Sevres, France, Hagia Sophia Museum head Hayrullah Cengiz told Anadolu Agency.
Source: dailysabah.com
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