Turkey thwarts attempt to smuggle antiquities on the Syrian-Turkish border
Yesterday, Saturday, the Turkish authorities thwarted the smuggling of more than 2,500 pieces of ancient currency, at the “Gilwa Gozo” gate opposite Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian border.
The Turkish Ministry of Trade said in a statement, that the teams of the Directorate of Anti-Smuggling and Customs Intelligence at the Jilu Gozo gate, in the Reyhanli district of Hatay state, subjected a suspected truck to an x-ray.
He confirmed that the teams conducted a thorough inspection of trucks, after reaching dense signals in the beam scanning device, where the team found eight parcels of antique coins hidden in the front section of the truck.
The ministry explained that the seized coins were sent to the Directorate of Museums in Hatay, where it found that 308 pieces dated to the Hellenistic era, two thousand and 16 pieces from the Roman era, and 209 pieces from the Byzantine era.
The statement indicated that the competent authorities opened an investigation into the operation against the smugglers, without mentioning their nationality or even the party to which they belong.
It is worth noting that Bab al-Hawa crossing is considered the land transportation artery between Syria and Turkey, and it is about 33 kilometers away from Idlib city, and it is opposite on the Turkish side the “Gilwa Gozo” crossing.
