Nearly 2,000 historical artifacts returned to Turkey so far this year

So far this year the Culture and Tourism Ministry has brought 1,883 historical artifacts which had been stolen from Turkey back home. From 2007 to 2010 a total of 3,610 historical artifacts that had been illegally taken out of the country were returned to Turkey, according to the ministry. Stating that this year so far has seen the highest figure in eight years, the ministry added that Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay is also hoping to get back from Paris' Louvre Museum a ceramic board from the tomb of Sultan Selim II. Among the recently reacquired historical artifacts is the Bogazkoy Sphinx, returned by German authorities, in addition to 17 others returning from Britain. The ministry is also trying to get back seven other prominent historical artifacts, including an altar of Zeus, a statue of an old fisherman from Aphrodisias in southwestern Turkey, the Haci Bayram Veli Tomb, the mihrab (niche) of Konya's Beyhekim Mosque, Troy artifacts and others – four from the US, four from Denmark, three from Bulgaria, three from Britain, two from France, and one each from Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Scotland, Russia, and Ukraine.