Turkey has put on display Roman-era mosaics that were part of a U.S. university's art collection and were returned to the country more than half a century after looters smuggled them out.
At a ceremony on Saturday, Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy thanked Ohio's Bowling Green State University administrators and others who were instrumental in the return of the artifacts believed to have come from the ancient city of Zeugma, located in Turkey's southern Gaziantep province.
Bowling Green bought the 12 mosaics from a New York gallery in 1965. Turkish and Bowling Green officials agreed their return in May.
U.S. Embassy top diplomat Jeffrey Hovenier said: "We are delighted to welcome home part of Turkey's glorious heritage."
The mosaics are being exhibited at Gaziantep's Zeugma Mosaic Museum.
Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.
