Turkish wizard can’t aid treasure hunters in Urla
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 25, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - Yağcılar Village staged some odd scenes when a group of Greeks came to claim 400 kilos of gold and money, which they claim to be inherited from their great grandfather. When nothing came out, they found a wizard to break the spell they said has been cast over the fortune
Greek treasure hunters, a Turkish wizard, a mysterious clergyman and hundreds of kilos of buried gold. This is not a Hollywood movie script or the theme of a fantasy role-playing game. These are just the subjects of a real series of events in Turkey.
Yağcılar Village in the Urla district of İzmir was the stage for an odd real-life story where a group of Greeks came to get 400 kilos of gold and money they claimed they inherited from their great grandfather, who was a clergyman. Along with their Turkish business partners, Greeks started digging up an area of 500 square meters where three houses were located.
No treasure was found after three days of digging under permission granted by the Directorate of Museums, the Ministry of Finance and the Gendarmerie. For many, this could be seen as proof that there was, in fact, no buried treasure but for the Greek group, it was only locked with a spell.
Breaking the spell
Not giving up, the group found a Turkish wizard named Eyüp Hoca to break the "clergyman’s spell" that kept them from finding the treasure. First, Hoca said prayers in the area, but after seeing no results, Hoca executed a Plan B. He said there were djins, Turkish spirits who can grant wishes, who changed the location of the treasure every 41 years. Hoca pointed to other locations for the treasure, which he possibly discovered after he contacted the djins. One was inside a house and the other was under a tree in the yard but the treasure was nowhere to be found. At least not where Hoca pointed.
Last resort to find the riches
Seen as a last resort to find the buried riches, Hoca declined to talk to reporters, but he did make one comment that he "was only there to help." After his failure to solve the problem, he suddenly became a persona non grata. Greek family members asserted that calling a wizard was not their idea, while some passersby, who were happy to watch the treasure hunt, said the family looked ridiculous as they acted superstitiously to solve the mystery.
A member of the Greeks, who introduced himself as Kosla Elefteriye, also refused to speak to the Doğan news agency reporter, but watched the whole process from a distance.
The group’s treasure hunt expedition did not happen overnight. It was a result of five year’s worth of efforts. Tracing their roots, the Greeks found out that their ancestors lived in the Yağcılar village during the Ottoman era. The group then wanted to buy land there. When they offered 150,000 Turkish Liras for the land, the Turkish owners were suspicious about why the Greeks were willing to pay so much for it. Just when the landowners gave up on selling the property because it may be valuable, the Greeks came out with the truth.
After the formation of the Turkish Republic, Greeks in the village gave their money and gold to a local clergyman before leaving the country. The clergyman allegedly wrote in his diary that he hid the treasure. That was why the Greeks were sure that they had the right to take the money and gold, because it was passed down to them by the clergyman, who happened to be their great grandfather.
The Turkish owners did not sell their land, but they offered to be partners with the Greeks, and the action began. After they signed a deal, they applied to the local administration in Urla for permission to dig, saying that there was hidden treasure.
The local administration sent the treasure hunters to the Directorate of Museums, and after waiting a month, they were granted an allowance for digging. The permission is good for one month under the guidance of the Gendarmerie, so the group will be digging in the area for a few more weeks Ğ whether or not they can break the clergyman’s spell remains to be seen.
Yağcılar Village in the Urla district of İzmir was the stage for an odd real-life story where a group of Greeks came to get 400 kilos of gold and money they claimed they inherited from their great grandfather, who was a clergyman. Along with their Turkish business partners, Greeks started digging up an area of 500 square meters where three houses were located.
No treasure was found after three days of digging under permission granted by the Directorate of Museums, the Ministry of Finance and the Gendarmerie. For many, this could be seen as proof that there was, in fact, no buried treasure but for the Greek group, it was only locked with a spell.
Breaking the spell
Not giving up, the group found a Turkish wizard named Eyüp Hoca to break the "clergyman’s spell" that kept them from finding the treasure. First, Hoca said prayers in the area, but after seeing no results, Hoca executed a Plan B. He said there were djins, Turkish spirits who can grant wishes, who changed the location of the treasure every 41 years. Hoca pointed to other locations for the treasure, which he possibly discovered after he contacted the djins. One was inside a house and the other was under a tree in the yard but the treasure was nowhere to be found. At least not where Hoca pointed.
Last resort to find the riches
Seen as a last resort to find the buried riches, Hoca declined to talk to reporters, but he did make one comment that he "was only there to help." After his failure to solve the problem, he suddenly became a persona non grata. Greek family members asserted that calling a wizard was not their idea, while some passersby, who were happy to watch the treasure hunt, said the family looked ridiculous as they acted superstitiously to solve the mystery.
A member of the Greeks, who introduced himself as Kosla Elefteriye, also refused to speak to the Doğan news agency reporter, but watched the whole process from a distance.
The group’s treasure hunt expedition did not happen overnight. It was a result of five year’s worth of efforts. Tracing their roots, the Greeks found out that their ancestors lived in the Yağcılar village during the Ottoman era. The group then wanted to buy land there. When they offered 150,000 Turkish Liras for the land, the Turkish owners were suspicious about why the Greeks were willing to pay so much for it. Just when the landowners gave up on selling the property because it may be valuable, the Greeks came out with the truth.
After the formation of the Turkish Republic, Greeks in the village gave their money and gold to a local clergyman before leaving the country. The clergyman allegedly wrote in his diary that he hid the treasure. That was why the Greeks were sure that they had the right to take the money and gold, because it was passed down to them by the clergyman, who happened to be their great grandfather.
The Turkish owners did not sell their land, but they offered to be partners with the Greeks, and the action began. After they signed a deal, they applied to the local administration in Urla for permission to dig, saying that there was hidden treasure.
The local administration sent the treasure hunters to the Directorate of Museums, and after waiting a month, they were granted an allowance for digging. The permission is good for one month under the guidance of the Gendarmerie, so the group will be digging in the area for a few more weeks Ğ whether or not they can break the clergyman’s spell remains to be seen.