stele

The priests were standing near a field of ancient obelisks, or stelae, which date from the 4th Century.

In a historic agreement with the Republic of Yemen, the museum will research and temporarily care for the funerary stelae.

The stele was illegally excavated near the ancient city of Zeugma, in what is near Gaziantep, in present-day southeastern Turkey, the police said.

Sixty-five of the artifacts are funerary stelae — stone slabs featuring carved heads — traced to the second half of the first millennium B.C. in northwest Yemen.

With Ukrainian investigators still cataloging the losses of missing oil paintings, ancient steles, bronze pots, coins, necklaces and busts, the number of reported stolen items is likely to grow.