Some 288 historical artifacts saved from rubble

Expert teams from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums have recovered 288 artifacts from many historical and cultural buildings that were destroyed in the earthquakes.

Artifacts such as inscriptions, coins, icons, oil lamps and Ottoman coat of arms, 265 of which were recovered in the southern province of Hatay and 23 in other provinces, were taken under protection in museums.

With the participation of five different teams and 173 specialists in 10 quake-hit provinces, the work is ongoing to remove artifacts from the rubble of heavily damaged historical buildings.

The artifacts identified, sorted, cleaned and documented are then transferred to museums and temporary storages.

As of March 21, preliminary preparation, exploration and removal of artifacts from the debris were carried out on 63 registered immovable properties, including 23 mosques, three churches, three hammams, three public buildings, five tombs and eight fountains.

A total of 265 artifacts, including 21 inscriptions, 18 liturgical materials, 13 icons, seven decorated architectural pieces, two oil lamps, one Ottoman coat of arms, a metal cross, seven holy manuscripts, 185 religious books, two door knockers and more were removed from the rubble and taken under protection.

In provinces other than Hatay, a total of 23 artifacts were recovered from the rubble.

In the southern province of Malatya, three building inscriptions, two tombstone inscriptions and two reliefs with lotus palmette motifs were recovered and delivered to Malatya Museum.

In the southern province of Gaziantep, 15 pieces consisting of castle inscriptions and architectural pieces were recovered from the collapsed Gaziantep Castle.

In the southern province of...