A Seventeenth-century Quran and over 100 different historic artifacts from the early and late Ottoman durations have been seized in an anti-smuggling operation carried out in Istanbul on March 3.
Units of the Istanbul Police Department Anti-Smuggling Crimes Branch launched an investigation into suspects they believed have been looking for to take the historic artifacts obtained illegally overseas.
Searches on the raided addresses within the metropolis’s Fatih and Ümraniye districts revealed one centuries-old copy of the Holy Quran, 10 swords of varied sizes thought to belong to the early and late Ottoman durations, an vintage door panel, a necklace adorned with 17 late Ottoman interval cash, a Sultan Abdulhamid II monogram medallion, a silver coin dated to the Selim III interval, 17 late Ottoman swords adorned with mother-of-pearl, seven daggers from the late Ottoman interval and two fortress rifles inlaid with mom of pearl.
In whole, 144 artifacts courting to the Seventeenth and 18th centuries, in addition to a pistol dated to the Republican interval, have been seized.
It was reported that two smugglers have been additionally detained within the raids. A judicial investigation was initiated towards the detained suspects for the crime beneath Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
