Officers of the Istanbul Police Department have detained a man over illegal excavation in the city’s historical Sultanahmet neighborhood. Numerous Byzantine and pre-Byzantine artefacts were confiscated.

The Police conducted the raid after receiving information of an ongoing illegal excavation under the historical walls in Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. The officers found a total of 23 clay cubes and ceramic pieces, two coins dating back to the Byzantine era and one belt buckle during body searches of the suspect, while numerous relics from the Byzantine era and the pre-Byzantine period were still located under soil on the excavation site. The confiscated  artefacts were sent to the Istanbul Archaeology Museum Directorate for further examination.

(after Daily Sabah)