Turkey receives return of 28,811 cultural artifacts

Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that 28,811 cultural objects taken abroad since 1980 have been repatriated. Anti‑smuggling teams carried out 176 operations in 20 countries, recovering items from Germany, Croatia, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, the United States and Serbia, among others.

Recent voluntary returns include a marble head from the Smyrna Agora sent by the United States, Iznik tiles stolen from Adana and Istanbul returned by Spain and the United Kingdom, and a mosaic panel from the ancient site of Zeugma also recovered from the United States. The ministry says the effort to restore Turkey's archaeological heritage will continue.