Newsletters
Türkiye, Authorities in the southern province of Gaziantep have seized an ornate Hebrew manuscript inscribed in gold on python skin, detaining a foreign national suspected of conducting illegal excavations and attempting to sell the artifact on the black market.
According to a statement from the Gaziantep Provincial Governorate, provincial gendarmerie units have been conducting ongoing operations to prevent fraud and the illegal trade of artifacts.
During the course of those efforts, units in the Sehitkamil district identified a foreign national, identified only by the initials A.E., who was believed to have carried out unauthorized excavations and was actively searching for buyers for what were assessed to be historically significant objects.
A search of the suspect and his vehicle yielded the manuscript, approximately two meters in length, written in gold script on python skin and rolled into a scroll preserved inside a copper casing with an ornate, embossed lid.
The item is consistent with the type of artifact commonly targeted by antiquities traffickers operating across the broader region, where illicit excavation of archaeological sites remains a persistent problem.
The detained suspect remains in gendarmerie custody as processing and investigation procedures continue. No further suspects have been named at this stage.
Illegal excavation and trafficking of historical artifacts is a criminal offense in Türkiye, which is home to thousands of archaeological sites spanning multiple ancient civilizations.
Authorities have intensified enforcement efforts in recent years, with provincial gendarmerie and police units regularly conducting operations targeting fraudsters who pose as antiquities dealers to lure buyers.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
