Return of goddess statue eagerly awaited in Afyonkarahisar

The Kybele statue, which was smuggled to Israel after being unearthed during a road construction in 1964 in the western province of Afyonkarahisar's Çavdarlı district, has caused great excitement in its hometown after news that it would be brought back to Turkey and be displayed at a museum in the city.

"The city residents are very happy about the statue. We are looking forward to it," said Afyonkarahisar Governor Gökmen Çiçek.

The 1,700-year-old Anatolian mother goddess, which was seized when an auction house attempted to sell it in the U.S., was returned to its homeland with the great efforts of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and Foreign Ministry.

A symbol of fertility in prehistoric times, the Kybele statue will be moved to a new museum, which is under construction in Afyonkarahisar, after being displayed at the Archaeology Museum in Istanbul for a while.

Stating that they were very pleased about the return of the statue, Çiçek said, "Afyonkarahisar is home to many precious artifacts. The statue of Kybele, which was stolen from our city 60 years ago, is magnificent, and many of our residents have already seen it in the press. After 60 years, it was brought back to Turkey, especially with the contributions of Culture and Tourism Ministry, and it will be here soon. We are very excited about the statue."

On the other hand, a new tender was held on Dec. 15 for the new archaeological museum that is under construction in Afyonkarahisar. The new museum, which is expected to be completed quickly after the tender, is expected to host many historical artifacts in the city. The Kybele statue will also be exhibited in this museum. The new museum will include historical artifacts from excavations carried out in three mounds in...