Turkish cops have recovered two gold-covered Torahs, the Jewish holy book, which had been inscribed on animal skin after busting a historical artefact smuggling gang.
The two holy books were among a number of artefacts seized by the gendarmerie in the coordinated operation against the smugglers
Edirne Provincial Gendarmerie Command teams said the arrests and the seizure of the items were a combination of a three-month technical and physical surveillance against historical artefact smugglers in the Turkish provinces of Edirne, Balikesir, Canakkale, Kirklareli, Tekirdag and Kayseri.
After meticulous work, many historical artefacts were seized in the operation held in six provinces, including the base province of the operation, Edirne.
Photographs and videos of the historical artefacts seized during the operation on 2nd April were shared on social media by the Edirne Governorship.
In the images, two gold embellished Torahs inscribed on animal skin, many historical artefacts, an unlicensed gun belonging to smugglers, and many telephones can be seen.
It is not yet known how old the seized historical artefacts are. The market values of the historical artefacts will also be revealed after they have been assessed.
A total of 16 historical artefacts smugglers were caught in the operations. The historical artefact smugglers, whose names were not disclosed, were detained by the Gendarmerie teams.
A judicial investigation was initiated against the 16 smugglers who were detained for the crime of “Opposition to the Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage”.
Images shared on social media were liked and shared by many netizens.
A Twitter user named ‘Ali Riza’ wrote: “Our country’s lands are really rich in historical artefacts.”
An Instagram user named ‘Girgin Ada’ wrote: “Congratulations. You are really working hard on the preservation of historical artefacts.”
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Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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