Police in Turkey have reportedly seized an ancient leather-bound bible during a routine traffic stop in the country's central province of Nigde on Saturday.

Various Turkish media report that the surprising find was made when police stopped a vehicle during routine traffic inspections on the Aksaray-Adana highway. Four men, including two Syrian nationals and one Iraqi, were taken into custody in relation to the discovery.

Though it is not known exactly how old the bible is at this point, early reports indicate that it has ‘historical value.’ The manuscript is written on leather with pictures showing what appear to be figures associated with Christianity.

Police in Turkey's central Aksaray province launch investigation after discovering historical Bible inside a car belonging to Syrian and Iraqi nationalshttps://t.co/AWwUJaqLw9pic.twitter.com/fLWmggyzcG — DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) April 7, 2018

The origin of the bible is also still a mystery, however, the smuggling of historical artifacts into Turkey from neighboring war-torn Syria has reportedly increased significantly since the civil war broke out over seven years ago.

2,700yo biblical seal ‘may belong to prophet Isaiah’ https://t.co/0pISOPpKty — RT (@RT_com) February 23, 2018

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