Turkish police said Thursday they seized more than 10,000 historically significant artifacts from a home in Istanbul and arrested two suspects during an anti-smuggling operation targeting illicit trade in cultural property.
The operation was carried out by the police anti-smuggling division, which regularly conducts raids against the trafficking of antiquities in Turkey.
Istanbul police chief Selami Yildiz said cultural heritage represents “the collective memory of our country and the universal heritage of humanity.”
Authorities said the recovered items include more than 3,000 coins, inscriptions and other artifacts reflecting the social, religious and economic life of several civilizations, including the Hittites, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans, according to the private DHA news agency.
