ISTANBUL, June 28 (Xinhua) -- More than 7,700 smuggled cultural relics have been delivered to Türkiye since 2018, as the country stepped up its efforts to combat illegal trafficking, local media reported on Wednesday.
Thanks to the efforts of the Anti-Smuggling Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 7,701 assets have been returned to Türkiye since 2018, with the number of historical artifacts reaching 3,000 this year alone, the daily Hurriyet reported, citing figures released by the ministry.
The department has continued to identify artifacts smuggled abroad through illegal excavations and illicit means, while at the same time conduct regular examinations of museums and galleries and closely follow the transactions in auction houses and direct sales worldwide to identify smuggled objects, according to the report.
A 4,250-year-old golden beak-mouthed jug, a Kilia-type idol dating back to 5,000 B.C., a rare human-size bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Lucius Verus, and the 1,700-year-old statue of Anatolian deity Cybele were among the objects returned to the country, according to Hurriyet.
