JTA — Police in Turkey arrested four people who allegedly attempted to sell an ancient Torah scroll, Turkish media reported.
The private broadcaster NTV reported that the Torah scroll was made of leather and its sellers claimed it was nearly 2,000 years old. The suspects, who were identified only by their initials, were arrested in the Mediterranean province of Adana, the report said.
The oldest known complete version of the Torah is the Leningrad Codex, which dates back to the early 11th century CE. Few existing Torah scrolls are older than 500 years.
One of the suspects reportedly said he and the others came to possess the scroll after buying it from an antique store. He said they brought the scroll to a geography teacher to ask what was written in it.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident and sent the scroll for inspection, NTV reported.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
- Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
- Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
- Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNation streaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
Join The Times of Israel Community
JOIN NOW
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
