Science News

UNESCO to join search for pyramids in central Bosnia

Jun 2, 2006, 13:01 GMT

Sarajevo - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will join Bosnian experts in searching for what is believed to be one or more ancient pyramids in central Bosnia, the Bosnian Presidency said Friday in a statement.

The chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina's rotating presidency, Sulejman Tihic, met with UNESCO director-general Koichiro Matsuura in the Croatian coastal town of Opatija, the statement said.

Tihic informed Matsuura about progress at the site in the town of Visoko where the structure was found and Matsuura promised to send soon a group of UNESCO archaeological experts to investigate the find.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian geologist and expert in pyramids, Aly Abd Alla Barakat, said the discovery of treated stone blocks confirmed the existence of a pyramid.

Barakat found two polished, sculpted stone blocks that might prove that a highly-developed ancient civilization built the structure under what is now Visocica Hill near Visoko.

A group of local and international experts began three months ago a thorough study of Visocica, which they believe may conceal a quadrilateral pyramid.

Earlier this year, preliminary findings from sound scans and satellite imagery of the terrain offered evidence that one or more pyramids may have existed in Visoko, some 30 kilometres north of Sarajevo.

The scans showed clay, polished stone pieces and stones with metal traces believed to be man-made.

Remote sensing by satellite, artificial illumination and radar topography showed geometric features that seem to be positioned in a triangular form, matching the four sides of the world.

The discovery of the site has caused a surge in the number of tourists in Visoko.

Last weekend alone, more than 10,000 tourists visited that tiny central Bosnian town, tourist authorities said.