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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Nov 2 2013
Officials search for buried gold under Armenian house in Bursa village
BURSA ` DoÄ?an News Agency
A small village in the Western province of Bursa has become the centre
of a modern tale of treasure hunt as officials search for gold and
other personal belongings of Armenian families who left their homeland
after the Turkish war of independence.
Officials have formed a commission headed by an archeologist to
perform the excavations at the Keramet village under one of the
hamlet's houses where the valuable items of the Armenian families are
believed to be buried.
`According to the recounting of the village's elders, many Armenian
families settled at the Keramet village. They have all migrated except
for one after the war of independence. The family that remained
apparently said that those Armenians who had escaped hid their gold
and other belongings under our house,' said the owner of the house,
Efkan Arı.
`This rumor circulated for years. So when the muhtar [village
administrator] became concerned that the abandoned house could
collapse at any moment and ordered its destruction, we wanted to gain
permission and have the excavation begun,' Arı added.
However, gaining that permission has not been easy and it took
officials more than a year to process the claims. The excavations,
carried out under the surveillance of Gendarmerie Forces, started on
Nov. 1 and could legally be continued for a month longer.
Any gold that might be unearthed will be split between the state and
the owner while antiquities have to be transferred to the state
treasury, according to the laws.
Information or rumors with regards to the Armenian families who used
to live in the village are more scarce, it is even unknown if they
managed to complete their hazardous journey unharmed.
However the treasure tale at the Keramet village ` a name that could
not bode better omen as it means `prophecy' ` may one day enlighten
their stories and their old life in Anatolia.
November/02/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/officials-search-for-buried-gold-under-armenian-house-in-bursa-village.aspx?pageID=238&nID=57257&NewsCatID=375
Nov 2 2013
Officials search for buried gold under Armenian house in Bursa village
BURSA ` DoÄ?an News Agency
A small village in the Western province of Bursa has become the centre
of a modern tale of treasure hunt as officials search for gold and
other personal belongings of Armenian families who left their homeland
after the Turkish war of independence.
Officials have formed a commission headed by an archeologist to
perform the excavations at the Keramet village under one of the
hamlet's houses where the valuable items of the Armenian families are
believed to be buried.
`According to the recounting of the village's elders, many Armenian
families settled at the Keramet village. They have all migrated except
for one after the war of independence. The family that remained
apparently said that those Armenians who had escaped hid their gold
and other belongings under our house,' said the owner of the house,
Efkan Arı.
`This rumor circulated for years. So when the muhtar [village
administrator] became concerned that the abandoned house could
collapse at any moment and ordered its destruction, we wanted to gain
permission and have the excavation begun,' Arı added.
However, gaining that permission has not been easy and it took
officials more than a year to process the claims. The excavations,
carried out under the surveillance of Gendarmerie Forces, started on
Nov. 1 and could legally be continued for a month longer.
Any gold that might be unearthed will be split between the state and
the owner while antiquities have to be transferred to the state
treasury, according to the laws.
Information or rumors with regards to the Armenian families who used
to live in the village are more scarce, it is even unknown if they
managed to complete their hazardous journey unharmed.
However the treasure tale at the Keramet village ` a name that could
not bode better omen as it means `prophecy' ` may one day enlighten
their stories and their old life in Anatolia.
November/02/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/officials-search-for-buried-gold-under-armenian-house-in-bursa-village.aspx?pageID=238&nID=57257&NewsCatID=375