ANKARA
Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay stated on Monday that 34 tiles stolen from the Sinanpasa Mosque in Bursa in 2002 and taken to England have been returned to Turkey.
Minister Gunay said, "These tiles bear one of the ayats of the Surat Al-Hashr from holy Qur'an. They include some of the important epithets of Allah. It is a unique piece."
Informing the attendees about the 34 tiles at a press conference held at the Central Building of Turkish Prime Ministry in capital Ankara, Gunay noted that tiles which had been stolen from the Sinanpasa Mosque in 2002 were brought back to Turkey a short while ago.
He stressed that since he was appointed as Turkish culture and tourism minister, 2,293 artifacts including tiles; sculptures; gold, silver and bronze coins; metal and stone archeological works of art were brought back to Turkey.
