25 Smuggled Antiques Returned to Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- A collection of 25 antique objects smuggled out of Iran was returned to the country, an Iranian official said.

Explaining that the objects include coin, bowl, plate, vase and earthenware, Managing Director of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) for legal affairs department Omid Ghanami said these objects had been illegally transferred to Italy.

Thanks to the efforts of ICHHTO and Iran’s Embassy in Italy, the historical objects, which had been unearthed during illegal excavation in Iran, were seized from an Italian smuggling gang, he added.

According to an expert with National Museum of Eastern Art in Rome, the artifacts date back to the Islamic period, Ghanami said.