Ancient stela lost after discovery

The priceless stela, discovered during construction work on Ereğli’s Anafartalar Street, has similar features with the famous İvriz relief, located 15 kilometers southeast of Ereğli. Many people in Ereğli have photos of the stela but its fate is currently unknown and everyone is curious of its whereabouts. 

It was also claimed that a complaint was filed against the sale of the stela. The Ereğli Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation about the issue and ordered for confidentiality during the investigation.  

Many people in Ereğli have been named in connection to the smuggling of the artifact but so far nobody has been detained. 

In a photo of the stela, which shows a paper dated March 1, it can be seen it is larger than 2 meters. 

Considering the photo, archaeologist Nezih Başgelen said, “This is a typical example of stelas that we see in the late Hittite era. The scene on the stela is the same with the famous Ivriz rock relief. The artifact also has similar features with the Ambarderesi relief in the skirts of the Taurus Mountains.”