Turkish authorities in the historic city of Niğde recently detained six people after finding an unusual possession in one of their homes: a medieval mummy allegedly destined for sale on the black market. The raid, conducted by the Provincial Gendarmerie Command’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Division, was part of an ongoing effort to combat an international artifact trafficking industry responsible for selling thousands of archeological relics illegally obtained across the Turkish region of Anatolia.
Niğde governor Cahit Celik praised the mummy’s recovery in a statement given to local Turkish news outlets while thanking authorities for “their devoted efforts in preserving our nation’s cultural heritage.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding our historical assets with unwavering determination,” he added.
Smugglers have long targeted Turkey due to its cultural and historical significance that spans multiple civilizations over thousands of years. While artifact theft is still an ongoing issue, the Turkish government has spent decades working to repatriate thousands of stolen artifacts and personal remains. Earlier this month, its Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and Museums estimated authorities have seized around 26,665 “historical artifacts and cultural assets” since 1980. These efforts involved a total of 162 operations across 18 countries, with the worst offenders including Germany, Croatia, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Serbia. In 2022, a single raid nicknamed “Operation Heritage” resulted in the arrests of 162 suspected smugglers in 38 provinces, with one truck alone containing 1,736 artifacts on their way to a British auction house.
Turkish officials’ most recent bust focused on a single mummy. The remains were stored in one of the suspect’s homes in the town of Kemerhisar roughly 210 miles southeast of Ankara. While not much is known about the mummy itself, experts believe the largely intact body dates to the Middle Ages. The individual was also likely a Christian given the nature of its preservation. Photos provided by Niğde representatives show the mummy with its arms crossed and placed on a bed of sheets and ragged cardboard.
Following its recovery, workers transferred the mummy to the Niğde Museum Directorate for further analysis. Future findings could help contextualize the individual’s living conditions, cultural beliefs, and the medical practices in use when this person was alive . The rescued mummy won’t be alone in its new museum residence, either. The institution is already home to a sizable collection of well-preserved mummies, including the “Sister Mummy” found in the Aksaray Ihlara Valley as well as multiple child mummies originally located in the Çanlı Church.
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