1,500-year-old artifacts smuggled from Türkiye return home

ANKARA

A Byzantine-era oil lamp, seven coins, and a gold medallion dating back to the fourth century have been returned to Türkiye from Switzerland as a result of a cultural property trafficking investigation.

Swiss authorities initiated a probe into cultural heritage smuggling after discovering documents related to the illegal trade.

The investigation revealed a criminal network trafficking historical artifacts primarily from the Middle East to Europe. The network, officials found, involved illegal excavators, suppliers, intermediaries, restoration specialists, counterfeit artifact producers, gallery owners and art dealers.

The Geneva courts issued sentences to those implicated in the case, effectively dismantling the network. The operation has also led to a separate investigation into a known European figure and a company, suspected of involvement in cultural property trafficking.

Officials seized an oil lamp dating to the fifth to seventh centuries A.D. during a customs inspection near Geneva.

Experts from the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry confirmed the lamp’s Turkish origin and its illegal export from the country. The ministry provided a report on the item to Swiss officials, with whom Türkiye has a bilateral agreement to combat the trafficking of cultural artifacts.

In a separate investigation, Swiss authorities recovered seven coins and a gold medallion from the Byzantine era, believed to have been minted between the fourth and sixth centuries in Istanbul, Balıkesir and İzmit.

Under a collaborative initiative to repatriate historical artifacts, Swiss authorities returned the lamp, coins and medallion to Turkish officials. The items were formally accepted on Oct. 31 in a ceremony at the Turkish Embassy in Switzerland.

The artifacts are expected to arrive in Türkiye later this month.

Türkiye has now successfully repatriated 12,164 artifacts since 2002, with 7,846 recovered since 2018, with the additions. This year alone, 45 items have been brought back to Türkiye, underscoring the country’s ongoing commitment to reclaiming its cultural heritage.