Türkiye Launches Drone Surveillance Centre to Protect Historical Monuments
Amul Info · · g304827
A new aerial surveillance center has opened in Manisa Province, Türkiye, to protect the archaeological sites of ancient Sardis and the Bin Tepe area. Drones will provide round-the-clock monitoring to help detect and prevent illegal excavations.
Türkiye has opened a new aerial surveillance centre to protect its historical and cultural heritage from illegal excavations and the illicit trade in ancient artefacts. Located in Manisa Province, the centre aims to strengthen the protection of the ancient city of Sardis and the historical monuments in the Bin Tepe area, which is associated with the heritage of Lydia.
Under the project, these sites, which are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, will be monitored around the clock using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. Equipped with modern technology, the drones can conduct video surveillance at night and track activities across extensive areas.
Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, attended the opening ceremony of the surveillance centre. The project’s main objective is to prevent illegal excavations at archaeological sites and detect unlawful activities by people searching for historical artefacts at an early stage.
The new centre is equipped with two drones capable of remaining airborne for extended periods, antenna systems and specialised surveillance equipment. If suspicious activity is detected, the relevant information will be promptly forwarded to the gendarmerie. This initiative could serve as a model for introducing similar protection systems at other archaeological sites across Türkiye in the future.
The ancient city of Sardis was once the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia. The Bin Tepe area is known as a historical necropolis covering approximately 75 square kilometres and containing more than 120 burial mounds. The cultural and historical significance of these sites makes modern preservation measures essential.
In protecting its cultural heritage, Türkiye places particular emphasis not only on technology but also on international cooperation and the return of historical artefacts illegally taken abroad. Cooperation with UNESCO is an important part of these efforts.
According to Türkiye’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, 13,474 cultural artefacts illegally removed from the country have been returned since 2002. Of these, 9,159 were recovered over the past eight years. The returned artefacts include a bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius taken from the ancient city of Boubon, mosaics from Zeugma, and historical ceramic items produced in İznik.
The launch of the new surveillance centre marks another stage in Türkiye’s efforts to protect its archaeological heritage, preserve historical monuments and strengthen the fight against the illicit trade in cultural artefacts.