1,500-year-old artifacts smuggled from Türkiye return home

​​​​​​​By Isa Toprak

A Byzantine-era oil lamp, seven coins and a gold medallion, dating as early as the 4th century, have been returned to Türkiye from Switzerland following a cultural property trafficking investigation, according to sources familiar with the case.

Swiss authorities initiated a probe into cultural heritage smuggling after discovering documents related to the illegal trade.

The investigation revealed a criminal network trafficking historical artifacts primarily from the Middle East to Europe. The network, officials found, involved illegal excavators, suppliers, intermediaries, restoration specialists, counterfeit artifact producers, gallery owners and art dealers.

The Geneva courts issued sentences to those implicated in the case, effectively dismantling the network. The operation has also led to a separate investigation into a known European figure and a company, suspected of involvement in cultural property trafficking.

- Türkiye’s efforts to recover heritage

Officials seized an oil lamp dating to the 5th to 7th centuries AD during a customs inspection near Geneva.

Experts from Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirmed the lamp’s Turkish origin and its illegal export from the country. The ministry provided a report on the item to Swiss officials, with whom Türkiye has a bilateral agreement to combat the trafficking of cultural artifacts.

In a separate investigation, Swiss authorities recovered seven coins and a gold medallion from the Byzantine era, believed to have been minted between the 4th and 6th centuries in Istanbul, Balıkesir and Izmit.

Under a collaborative initiative to repatriate historical artifacts, Swiss authorities returned the lamp, coins and medallion to Turkish officials. The items were formally accepted Thursday in a ceremony at the Turkish Embassy in Switzerland.

The artifacts are expected to arrive in Türkiye later in November.

- Growing success in artifact repatriation

Türkiye has now successfully repatriated 12,164 artifacts since 2002, with 7,846 recovered since 2018, with the additions.

This year alone, 45 items have been brought back to Türkiye, underscoring the country’s ongoing commitment to reclaiming its cultural heritage.