Turkish security forces seized a 2,000-year-old mosaic depicting a male figure in an anti-smuggling operation in western Turkey's Bursa province on
Turkish security forces seized a 2,000-year-old mosaic depicting a male figure in an anti-smuggling operation in western Turkey’s Bursa province on Monday.
Acting upon intelligence, the provincial gendarmerie forces stopped a car in Inegöl district, catching two suspects red-handed.
The two suspects, identified as C.K. and M.U., were planning to sell the historic artifact they brought from the capital Ankara.
The mosaic, which was delivered to the Museum Directorate, was found to have a market value of $100,000.
Thousands of anti-smuggling operations are carried out across Turkey every year to halt the illegal sale of historical objects and protect the country’s rich cultural heritage. The issue is crucial to a country that is home to about 3,000 ancient cities from 42 civilizations and whose tourism industry relies on its rich historical heritage to attract millions of foreign visitors each year.