Smuggled Anatolian treasures seized from American collector’s home to be returned to Turkey

Smuggled Anatolian treasures seized from the New York home of infamous American collector Michael Steinhardt are set to be returned to Turkey in the coming days, according to reports.

Steinhardt's residence was raided as part of an operation conducted in December, resulting in the confiscation of 180 cultural artifacts hailing from 11 different countries, worth a combined total of $70 million. 

The collection is comprised of 14 artifacts of Anatolian origin, including a deer rhyton, a gold dress apparatus, a mother goddess idol, a mountain goat figurine, bird statuettes and a Kilia idol.

The operation was reportedly carried out by Turkey’s Anti-Smuggling Department of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, in cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Zeynep Boz, head of the department, said the artifacts will be handed to the consulate general and subsequently sent back to Turkey, where they will be exhibited at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum.

“A lawsuit was filed after Steinhardt attempted to sell the Kilia idol known as the Star Hunter, which was discovered in Manisa’s Kulaksizlar village, at an auction in 2017, but the court ruled in favor of the collector, a decision that was later overturned during an appeal,” Boz concluded.