Turkey succeeded in taking back a historical Greek statue of Cybele, the prehistoric goddess of fertility, which had been in Israel since 1960. The Turkish authorities managed to prove that they possessed it and they stopped the audition in the USA on this matter.

It is assumed that the 1,700 year old statue dates from the 3rd century AD. The Turkish authorities said the process of returning the statue began after their Israeli counterparts tried to sell it.

After Turkey confirmed that the statue had been illegally removed from the country based on the available evidence, the owner of the statue agreed to return it to Turkey without legal proceedings.

Cybele was a "mother" goddess of fertility and a protector and was considered the mistress of the wild nature. Historians argue that its origins date back to the 8th century BC. The influence of the goddess was present in the Mediterranean region. The lions on both sides of the Cybele, which have been worshipped since prehistoric times, indicate the dominion of the mother goddess over nature and animals. According to its inscription, the statue was offered as an offering to the 12 Greek Gods of Olympus. "God Hermes' son, Asclepiades from Sideropolis, erected the votive statue for the twelve Olympians," is written on the statue.

The statue is planned to be taken to a western province of Turkey, where a new museum will be built and the statue will be exhibited.