Sulaymaniyah authorities seize 685 silver coins dating to 12th–13th centuries, arrest three

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq — Kurdish security forces in Sulaymaniyah have seized 685 silver coins dating to the 12th and 13th centuries and arrested three people accused of trying to sell them illegally, the Kurdistan Region's Asayish organization said. Brigadier General Karzan Shirko, spokesperson for the Asayish, said the operation was carried out by the Sulaymaniyah Asayish Directorate. He said the suspects were caught while attempting to sell the coins to another buyer. They were detained under a judicial order based on Article 24 of the Kurdistan Region's 2021 Law on the Protection and Management of Antiquities. The confiscated coins were handed over to the Sulaymaniyah Museum after legal procedures were completed. Museum Director Hashim Hama Abdullah said the collection is the second batch of historical coins delivered to the museum in recent months, adding that the coins will be made available to researchers. Abdullah said the historical and scientific value of the coins far exceeds their material worth and forms part of the region's civilizational heritage. Sulaymaniyah security units had previously announced the recovery of 272 18th-century coins seized in late 2025 and transferred to the museum in February.