And Article from The Economist Written by journalist Erin O’Brien on September 9, it revealed a current situation in Turkey: Turkish treasure hunters are destroying Armenian historical sites and cultural heritage in order to search for relics and objects left by Armenians during the 1915-1923 genocide.
“Racist stereotypes in Turkey have often portrayed Armenians as voracious hoarders (ignoring the fact that many were very poor). It wasn’t long before people speculated that Armenians fleeing the genocide had buried their valuables, in the hope that they would one day return. Scholarly opinion varies as to how widespread the practice actually was, but experts generally agree that any buried treasure was likely found shortly after the genocide,” the article explains.
“Sometimes the search for riches is harmless. But the frantic excavations taking place in Armenian churches and cemeteries are destroying the country’s historical fabric. Artifacts are diverted to private traders, and the crude methods of hunters cause irreparable damage to archaeological sites,” the author explains.
“I now find treasure hunting more popular than ever, partly as a result of Turkey’s current economic crisis. In July, inflation rose to 60% over the past year and the lira has lost more than 80% of its value against the dollar over the past five years. Less than half of Turks work full-time,” is the background.
According to the investigation, “According to Turkish law, would-be treasure hunters must obtain a license from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, these licenses are granted only for use in areas the government deems devoid of any cultural or environmental value. These include many Armenian historical sites. They also expire after a month of digging, at which point the search – which must take place on a 100-square-meter plot of land and be supervised by an official from a local state museum – has to be abandoned if nothing has been found. Anything unearthed that the ministry deems to be of cultural value – usually artifacts from Turkey’s Islamic, rather than Christian, past – is transferred to the local state museum and becomes the property of the ministry. The treasure hunter then receives a fee equal to 50% of the value determined by the government if the land where the treasure was found is public, and 40% if the land is private (10% goes to the landowner).”
