ISTANBUL, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police have recovered thousands of historical artifacts, including a calligraphy panel listed on Interpol's stolen art database for 20 years, during a series of anti-smuggling operations across Istanbul, broadcaster NTV reported Friday.
According to the report, between June and September, police conducted 11 raids in the districts of Fatih, Sisli, Esenyurt, Bagcilar, Kadikoy, and Besiktas, detaining 15 suspects.
Among the seized items were a 1,771-piece mosaic dating back to the Greek and Roman imperial periods, and 2,627 coins made of gold, silver, bronze, and nickel believed to belong to the Greek, Roman, Abbasid, Umayyad, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Anatolian Seljuk eras.
Other confiscated objects included 454 pieces from the Ottoman period, such as pistols, daggers, swords, candlesticks, goblets, seals, and religious icons, along with 47 ivory bracelets.
The report noted that the artifacts will be handed over to the General Directorate of Foundations, the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, the Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum, and the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum once official procedures are completed. ■
