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Smuggled ‘priceless treasures’ of Roman, Greek, Persian, Islamic civilizations seized by Istanbul police
Smuggled ‘priceless treasures’ of Roman, Greek, Persian, Islamic civilizations seized by Istanbul police
Dozens of ancient objects described as “priceless treasures,” including artifacts from the Roman, Greek, Persian and Islamic civilizations, have been seized from smugglers in Istanbul after the police’s latest sting operations. Click through for the story in photos...
Bronze coins depicting the Roman Emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD) are among the saved antiques.
In the trove, there are also coins depicting a Greek victory over Persians, as well as golden accessories from a Persian king’s tomb and Sassanid coins.
Experts also say two ancient Qurans seized are “at a quality that even the best museums in the world do not currently have such pieces.”
One of the gilded Qurans is thought to have been written at the time of Ottoman Sultan Selim II’s victory over the Egyptian Mamluks in 1516.
Silver coins from the Arthukid dynasty in eastern Turkey are other Islamic artifacts seized by the police in the latest operation.
The artifacts were seized by the anti-smuggling unit of the Istanbul police in sting operations launched in the districts of Beşiktaş, Fatih and Bayrampaşa in the past month.
Undercover police officers pretended to be potential customers to lure the smugglers into revealing their illegally acquired and possessed ancient artifacts.
Four people were arrested and seven were released on bail, while the seized artifacts were sent to relevant museums across Turkey.
Story: Çetin Aydın / Hürriyet
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