In August 1980, Italian tourist Sergio Galoni came to Cyprus for a holiday and on the 7th August he discovered an Ephesus Artemis statue in the sea in the Salamis region. Tuncer Bağışkan, archaeologist of the Antiquities and Heritage Department, determined that it was an Ephesus Artemis statue. The statue was later exhibited in the Güzelyurt Archeology and Nature Museum.
Recently, Sergio Galoni visited Cyprus for a holiday with his wife and stayed at the Artemis Hotel at Bafra. He asked for information from the hotel staff of the whereabouts of the Artemis statue and the hotel authorities contacted the Director of the Ancient Works and Heritage Department, Fuat Azimli, who provided the necessary information about the statue and invited Sergio and his wife to visit the museum in Guzelyurt. Sergio and his wife toured the museum together with Director of the Department, Fuat Azimli who presented the couple with books and brochures promoting the antiquities of the country.
Sergio also visited the area where he first saw what he thought was an amphora in the sea and was very excited when he took it out and discovered it was a statue.
