TEHRAN - A special exhibition showcasing 55 smuggled Iranian artifacts recently returned from Türkiye has been inaugurated at the Urmia Museum of Archaeology.

The unveiling ceremony, held in honor of the 46th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution known as the Ten-Day Dawn (Daheh Fajr) celebrations, was attended by cultural officials, heritage experts, and local dignitaries, ILNA reported on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, the repatriated artifacts include a variety of historically significant objects. Among them are a sword believed to date back to the Sassanian era, animal figurines from the Iron and Bronze Ages, several glass and metal bowls, a copper ewer, and 42 ancient coins of Iranian origin. These items were illegally smuggled out of the country and later discovered in the Turkish provinces of Erzurum and Erzincan, the report added.

The unveiling event was attended by prominent figures, including Hakem Mamakan, Urmia’s representative in parliament, Morteza Safari, the tourism chief of West Azarbaijan province, Mozaffar Abbaszadeh, Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Arts of Urmia University, Saeed Azoddodin Maleki, Head of the Iranology Foundation, and Bahram Zeinalzadeh, Director General of Nomadic Affairs of West Azarbaijan.

In early June 2024, Türkiye returned those historical artifacts of Iranian origin that were smuggled illegally into the country. In late January 2025, the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts confirmed that the artifacts were transferred home.

AM