TEHRAN – Authorities in Bushehr province have seized some relics including a 2,000-year-old gold mask in a crackdown on antique smugglers, according to a local official.

“The seized artifacts include a gold mask and several pottery items,” Esmaeel Sajjadi-Manesh stated on Sunday. “Which experts from the provincial office have dated back to the Parthian and Elamite periods.”
He further elaborated that the smugglers were tracked and monitored closely, leading to their capture last Friday in Fars province, just as they attempted to sell the artifacts. The operation, Sajjadi-Manesh explained, was the result of a comprehensive surveillance work by local officials.

The official highlighted that the group was attempting to smuggle these ancient items from the southern provinces to Shiraz for sale. However, their plans were thwarted thanks to timely intervention of the Bushehr authorities, said Sajjadi-Manesh, adding that the recovered artifacts have been returned to Bushehr.

“Among the items recovered, one of the most valuable is the gold mask, estimated to be over 2,000 years old,” he noted, “The mask was reportedly being sold for several billion tomans during the illegal transaction.”

In his final words, Sajjadi-Manesh emphasized that relics are vital components of the nation’s history and culture. “Anyone attempting to exploit or damage this heritage would inevitably face the full force of the law,” he winded up.
XF/AM