‘Priceless’ Jewish antique found at Syrian man’s house in Turkey’s south

ADANA

An object that authorities say might be a priceless Jewish antique has been found at the home of a Syrian refugee in Turkey’s south.

Police raided the house of Khalid al-Haj Ahmed in the province of Adana on Sept. 3 after an informant claimed that the man was smuggling historical artifacts.

According to local media reports published on Sept. 14, one of the objects seized in the raid was an old wooden box decorated with ruby and emeralds. It contained a roll of manuscript in Hebrew, made of antelope skin.

Another skin roll in a drawer depicts the Star of David and the hamsa, which is a palm-shaped amulet.

An official speaking to the local media said the objects were sent to the Adana Museums Directorate to be studied, adding that they are “priceless if original.”

Ahmed, who was released after a brief detention, said in his testimony that he had bought the objects for $4,000 in Syria and thought they were fake.

Officials say that the objects could have been smuggled out of a museum in Syria, which has been engulfed in a war for the past seven years.