Ancient Bible smuggled from Syria seized
Turkish gendarmerie troops have seized an ancient Bible that was smuggled into Turkey from Syria. Three suspects, including a Syrian national, were detained by troops yesterday in the northwestern city of Bursa. The Bible, stolen from a museum in war-torn Syria, is worth $1.5 million, according to security sources.
The gilded texts of the Bible, written on 17 gazelle-skin pages with pictures of Mary and Jesus, was given to a local museum in Bursa, according to media reports.
Turkey shares a lengthy border with Syria and has seen a tremendous flow of refugees fleeing from a country destroyed by the civil war which is entering its sixth year in March. Turkey claims that border security and customs officers are trained to deal with cross-border smuggling operations. Customs officials, art dealers and collectors were also given an emergency list of possible artifacts that could be smuggled into the country.
The gilded texts of the Bible, written on 17 gazelle-skin pages with pictures of Mary and Jesus, was given to a local museum in Bursa, according to media reports.
Turkey shares a lengthy border with Syria and has seen a tremendous flow of refugees fleeing from a country destroyed by the civil war which is entering its sixth year in March. Turkey claims that border security and customs officers are trained to deal with cross-border smuggling operations. Customs officials, art dealers and collectors were also given an emergency list of possible artifacts that could be smuggled into the country.
Last Update: March 08, 2017 22:36