An international project conducted in the ancient city of Merv in Turkmenistan was stopped. It was revealed that the reason was the smuggle of historical artefacts by the German archaeology team participating in the project.

The project was conducted under the sponsorship of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency in Turkmenistan. The excavation team excavated 47 locations and dug as much as 12 meters down, taking them very close to finding the tomb of Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan. According to media reports the excavations were stopped in 2015 after German archaeologists were caught smuggling artefacts at the airport. The  excavations are said to continue when the necessary legal and bureaucratic conditions are favourable.

(after Daily Sabah & AA Photo)