STORY: Türkiye gets back 1,800-year-old Zeugma stele
DATELINE: July 14, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:20
LOCATION: Ankara
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. 1,800-year-old Zeugma stele (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
2. various of Zeugma Museum in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep province (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
3. various of the presentation ceremony of the stele in Zeugma Museum in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep province (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
4. various of the speech of Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
5. various of the presentation ceremony of the stele in Zeugma Museum in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep province (courtesy of ihlas news agency)
6. various of Zeugma Museum in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep province (courtesy of ihlas news agency)

STORYLINE:

Italy handed over an 1,800-year-old tomb stele, which was smuggled from the ancient city of Zeugma in Türkiye and found in Italy last year, a Turkish cabinet minister said Thursday.

The historical tombstone is delivered to the Zeugma Museum in Türkiye's southern Gaziantep province, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said in a press conference held for the presentation of the stele in the museum, the semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

The Italian authorities seized the tomb stele and reached out to Türkiye to confirm the origins of the piece, said the minister adding that the examination of the Turkish experts clarified that the stele was stolen from Zeugma and was taken out of the country.

The ancient stele, which features a female figure, features an expression "Farewell, Satornila, the wife who loved her husband," he said.

Ersoy thanked the Italian authorities for displaying sensitivity on the return of the second-century stele.

The minister also said that the number of agreements Türkiye has signed for returning the historical artifacts has reached 12.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ankara.
(XHTV)