Stolen historical tile returned to Turkey

Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay said yesterday that 34 ceramic tiles dating back to the 16th century which were stolen from the Sinan Pasha Mosque in Bursa in 1998 and taken to England have been returned to Turkey and would be exhibited at the Ethnography Museum in Ankara. Speaking at a press conference on Monday at the Turkish Prime Ministry in Ankara, Gunay gave information about the tiles. Stating that the tiles were originally part of a door in Bursa's Sinan Pasha Mosque, Gunay said that they displayed one of the verses of the Surat Al-Hashr from the Holy Quran and included some important epithets from Allah. Gunay added that the ceramic tiles were brought back to Turkey in several pieces and were meticulously assembled "like a jigsaw puzzle" here. "The tiles were found by a Turkish man, who does not want to be named, when they were being sold illegally. There were three burglary incidents in 1998, 2001 and 2002, and the tiles were stolen in 1998."