A documentary is being made in Turkey to highlight the story of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and why the British Museum ought to return it to Bodrum.

From:
Turkish Daily News

Bodrum wants its mausoleum back
Saturday, April 15, 2006
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

A documentary shot to highlight the issue of the return of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus — one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and currently on display at the British Museum — to Bodrum has been completed.

A petition launched for the same purpose is still ongoing.

The major part of the mausoleum was taken with permission by the government to the British Museum in London at the time of excavations conducted during the Ottoman era. The municipality of Bodrum last year launched a campaign with the support of various nongovernmental organizations to secure the return of the mausoleum to Bodrum.

The documentary, titled “Ancient Halicarnassus Bodrum,” is a comprehensive production that features the history of Bodrum as well as its cultural legacy, with the objective of raising public awareness on the issue.

Directed by lawyer Remzi Kazmaz and completed over the course of 18 months, the documentary depicts historical events that took place in the area. An animated piece featuring famed Greek historian Heredotos, known as the father of history and who was born in the Bodrum area, is one of the most colorful parts of the documentary.

The 60-minute film was shot at Bodrum’s historical sites and stars singer Fedon as Captain Georgios and former model Merve Ýldeniz as the wife of Emperor Augustus. A group of artists including Didem Baydar, Erol Yýlmaz, Ýlhami Abut, Nuran Altuð, Selçuk Aydýn and Selda Can also volunteered to take part in the production, which will be screened free of charge at Cinemarin movie theaters in Bodrum between April 14 and 21.

Noting that the documentary, which cost around $80,000 to make, was important for Bodrum, the city’s mayor, Mazlum Aðan, said: “We have been trying for years to highlight the artistic and cultural identity of Bodrum, eliminating the pop culture image of the city. We believe the documentary, in this sense, reflects its historical wealth. I hope in coming years we’ll be able to produce a more comprehensive promotional film with a larger budget on an international level.”

“The documentary will be shown both in Turkey and abroad. The petition we have started will also contribute to efforts to return the mausoleum to Bodrum,” said Kazmaz adding, “We have launched an international legal process with the help of 30 lawyers.”

Kazmaz also said the signatures would later be sent to the Culture and Tourism Ministry in an attempt to make them take up the issue. If they don’t receive a positive response from the ministry, they will then apply to the European Court of Human Rights, said the mayor.

“This issue is not solely an issue limited to Bodrum but a problem for all people living in Turkey and for those who are trying to preserve their past cultural wealth, especially when one takes into account the fact that there are at least 500 artifacts that have been taken abroad in various ways and are exhibited in foreign museums,” he said, adding that they extended the campaign to last until the end of June in order to publicize the event to a broader audience and voice everyone’s reactions.

“Those who want to join our campaign can fill in the form posted at www.a-sinema.org, he added.

The campaign now has 103,000 signatures, the Doðan News Agency reported.