Twelve antiquities smuggled out of Türkiye were returned Friday to the Mediterranean province of Antalya, thanks to efforts of the Turkish Culture Ministry.
The historical artifacts were delivered Wednesday to Türkiye's Consulate General in New York after long-lasting lawsuits leading to the repatriation.
The antiquities were received by the Antalya Museum’s director Mustafa Demirel and the teams from the Cultural Heritage Protectors in Antalya.
The 12 historical artifacts belonging to different regions in Türkiye such as Burdur, Konya, Sanliurfa, Canakkale, Manisa and Antalya will be exhibited at the Antalya Museum following a ceremony March 31 with participation from Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
"The momentum of the cooperation is not only encouraging deeper cooperation between Türkiye and the US but is also inspiring for the global community combating cultural property smuggling," said Reyhan Ozgur, Turkish Consul General in New York on Wednesday.
Underlining Türkiye's efforts to fight cultural property smuggling and protect the cultural heritage of Anatolian lands, which hosted many civilizations, Ozgur said 1,203 cultural properties were returned to Türkiye between 2002 and 2023.
Among the artifacts was a Bronze Statue of Septimus Severus from Burdur's Boubon Ancient City, which has special importance, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
