Treasure hunt in the

In a land full of treasures like Jordan, the treasure hunt craze has never cooled down. Here, people apply not only scientific achievements but also . magic with the desire to find priceless treasures.

Jordan, a land full of treasures

Emad Jarur, a 42-year-old man, lives in a popular neighborhood east of Jordan's Amman capital. When night fell, Jarur drove into an ancient land to dig, drill and even use . explosives to search for treasures of ancient artifacts from the Ottoman, Roman, Byzantine . .

Not only using advanced technology, Jarur also asked . the witches to hunt treasure."Treasure seekers like me try to try every means from science to magic to discover treasures," Jarur said.

Emad Jarur himself studied the Ottoman treasure, especially the pure gold coins, which were easy to sell on the black market. He read every book related to the subject, of all the smallest signs on the map that led him to hide the treasure.

However, some places are extremely dangerous because "they are protected by the gods" as hard- earned superstitious hunters often say. Jarur's colleague Abu Salem vowed, he saw a man killed in front of his eyes by the gods: "The gods warned me not to return to the land, but when I came back the day later, he died of a sudden heart attack ".

Hijaz railway line.(Photo: Berthold Werner / Wikipedia)

To avoid the punishment of the gods, the witch must read the verses in the Koran while the treasure hunter burns expensive Moroccan incense.

In the past, Jordan was the world's crossroads, witnessing the ups and downs of many ancient civilizations, from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Jordan was extended by the Egyptians to their power and culture from the west, while the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Nabateans, Romans, Byzatines, Muslims and Ottomans also placed their mark on the region in turn. this land.

The Hijaz railway is 483km long, connecting the capital Amman (Jordan) and Damascus (Syria), built by the Turks in the 1900s to feed their troops, becoming the focal point for the madmen treasure. People dug thousands of holes along Hijaz. Why does this place attract so many gold diggers?

The Ottoman Empire ruled Jordan from 1516-1918, built many fortresses to protect pilgrims. Legend has it that after the defeat in the war, the Ottoman Empire was rich, unable to carry all their gold when fleeing. Instead, they hurriedly buried them on the ground and carved treasure maps on the cliffs.

'Ottoman treasure can be found at a depth of less than 1m because they are rushing to flee the British army, so they do not have time to dig deeper ,' Jarur revealed.

The treasure hunting fever has no sign of cooling down

The gold rush stunned Jordan when the kingdom's economy declined dramatically in the 1990s. As a result, treasure seekers destroyed many of the country's priceless relics.

Prince Hassan (the uncle of King Abdullah II).(Photo: AFP)

Mohammad Najar, of the Archaeological Investigation Agency, said the dream of finding treasure has been tied to Jordanian minds for years."Some treasure stories may be true, but most are fake. What we care about is that digging will ruin relics and antiquities."

The best evidence of this destruction lies in the Jordan Valley, where fertile soil is located. Avoid prying eyes, farmers conduct illegal excavations, search for gold or any ancient artifacts that can be sold to tourists. Each ancient coin cost between 15 and hundreds of dollars.

Archaeological Investigation Agency officials admit, treasure hunters also contribute to the nation's archaeological treasures, but are still responsible for the damage they cause.

Jarur, meanwhile, said he will continue to search and insists that members of the royal family also join in the search."Everyone knows Prince Hassan (King Abdullah's uncle II) has a great treasure. He has spent decades hunting treasure across the kingdom."

However, not everyone desires treasure. These are farmers who only know: 'selling face to land, selling back to heaven'.

The farmers in Jordan always have to race with time to sow before winter comes. So the discovery of relics is a nightmare for them. By law, they must notify the government. At that time, archaeologists immediately blocked the area and began the process of assessing the archaeological value of the land. And so, their fields cannot be cultivated indefinitely.

Archaeologists said that many farmers hid their findings and continued to cultivate. Therefore, precious artifacts are often worn out.

Official figures show that in Jordan, more than 10,000 monuments are known and awaiting excavation. There are still unknown areas that are estimated to be three times that number.