Historical Artifacts Seized Across Turkey Ancient coins, mosaic paintings, rare Athens Greek coin among artifacts confiscated. Various historical artifacts were seized in anti-smuggling operations across Turkey, security sources said on Monday. Gendarmerie teams fighting organized crime in the southeastern Sanliurfa province raided the address of a suspect, who had been found to have smuggled historical artifacts, said a security source on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media. Some 110 ancient gold coins were seized during the operation in Viransehir district. Artifacts belonging to the Byzantine period were handed to local authorities, according to the source. Separately, five mosaic paintings believed to be historical artifacts were seized in the southern Mersin province, and a suspect was arrested, according to the local gendarmerie command.