ISTANBUL, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) — “They’re all like our children,” said Zeynep Boz, head of the Anti-Smuggling Department at Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, when asked which looted artifact she most wants to be returned.
Boz has spent nearly two decades tracking down lost pieces of Anatolia’s heritage, pursuing them across borders, at courtrooms and auction houses.
Among the many cases her team handles, the Bubon Investigation stands out — a high-stake effort centered on Roman-era bronze statues and artifacts smuggled from a heavily looted site in southwest Türkiye during the 1960s. Several statues have already been successfully repatriated, and negotiations are underway to secure the return of the remaining pieces from museums and private collections in the United States and Europe.
