The process of the conservation of cultural heritage in the Eastern Mediterranean in the light of the regulation examples enacted in the Ottoman Empire, Greece, and Egypt in the 19th century

In the 19th century, laws and regulations were enacted in Greece (1834), Egypt (1835), and the Ottoman Empire (1869-1874-1884) were historically examined and analyzed under headings in terms of the steps taken to protect and preserve movable/immovable ancient artifacts and the practical application of these steps in the field. Historically, the first law enacted was that of Greece, followed by Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. The first legal regulation for the protection of movable and immovable ancient artifacts in Greece was enacted in 1834 during the reign of King Otto with the Greek Antiquities Law. After King Otto came to power in Greece, he took important steps to protect movable and immovable ancient artifacts on the advice of his advisors. The Greek Antiquities Law prepared by his advisors was quite advanced in terms of protection and preservation for that period. The Greek Law consisted of 114 articles and contained very strict rules for the protection of antiquities. The movable and immovable antiquities that emerged with Napoleon's 1798 campaign in Egypt increased interest in Egypt and became a center of attraction waiting to be discovered by Western archaeologists and researchers. To stop this looting, with the support of Western researchers, Mehmed Ali Pasha took the first step toward protecting and preserving all movable and immovable ancient artifacts within Egypt's borders by enacting the Egyptian Antiquities Law in 1835. The Ottoman Empire was quite late in taking steps to protect movable and immovable ancient artifacts. Approximately 35 years after Greece and Egypt, the first Asar-ı Atika Nizamnamesi (Ancient Monuments Regulation), consisting of seven articles, came into force in 1869, taking the first legal step toward protection and preservation. When this regulation proved insufficient, it was revised in 1874, and the new regulation, consisting of 36 articles, was announced, but it could not be implemented as necessary in the field. Later, under the leadership of Osman Hamdi Bey, who was the museum director at the time, another regulation was drafted in 1884, consisting of 37 articles, which was quite comprehensive compared to its predecessors in the Ottoman Empire. This new regulation came into force with the approval of the Sultan. This regulation differs from its predecessors in that it contains detailed provisions not only on protection but also on issues such as excavation permits, the transfer of movable/immovable ancient artifacts to museums, and state supervision. Within this framework, the thesis examines the legal regulations concerning ancient artifacts in each of the three countries individually and comparatively.