Turkey recovers over 12,000 historical artifacts since 2002

 

Various mosaics unearthed from the excavation site of Germanicia ruins in the Turkish southern province of Kahramanmaras, a treasure trove featuring huge mosaics from over 1,500 years ago. [Xinhua]

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism said Sunday that 12,139 historical artifacts have been repatriated since 2002 as the country has intensified efforts to recover cultural artifacts.

Since 2018 alone, a total of 7,823 artifacts have been recovered, local newspaper Daily Sabah quoted the ministry as saying.

Many of the recovered artifacts were retrieved from Western countries, including Britain, Italy, and the United States.

Some artifacts were intercepted during commercial transactions. For instance, a bronze emperor statue slated for auction in New York in 2011 was deemed illegal and subsequently returned to Türkiye.

More recently, a marble torso of a young woman identified as a Turkish historical artifact was recovered from an auction in 2021 and repatriated to the Anadolu Civilizations Museum on January 26, 2024.