An
Egyptian geologist who has joined Bosnian researchers unearthing
what are thought to be Europe's first pyramids believes they
bear similar hallmarks to the ancient structures in his
homeland, an official said on Wednesday.
Dr Aly Abd
Barakat concluded that the blocks on the eastern face of the
'pyramid of the Sun', are of a similar construction to those
found in Egyptian pyramids - (the blocks are handmade and
polished). In Egypt, stones were polished to reflect the
sunlight. Baraket believes that the blocks, 4m x 1.5m in size,
were brought from a different location.
After
studying excavations on the northern side of the pyramid,
Baraket concluded that the blocks were handmade and had been
created using a mould to form the blocks, which consist of an
ancient 'concrete-like' mix. He also noticed a white line 0.5cm
thick between
the blocks, indicating a cement-like substance had
been used to adhere them together.
Barakat also
visited the 'pyramid of the Moon', at the base of Pljesevica
Hill, and concluded that the 'steps' which form the sides of
this pyramid were also made by human hands.
Aly Abd
Alla Barakat, of the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority,
believes large stone blocks found near Sarajevo were man-made
and polished in the same way as the pyramids of Giza, said the
Bosnian Pyramid Foundation's Mario Gerussi.
"Barakat
has also found the presence of a special material linking the
stone blocks which is identical to that used for pyramids in
Giza," he added.
Barakat
had extensive knowledge of the pyramids in Giza and had been
recommended for the Bosnian mission by Zahi Hawass, one of the
world's foremost Egyptologists, said Gerussi.
Over the
next month, he is to work with Bosnian experts at Visoko valley,
30km north of Sarajevo, which is believed to be hiding three
major pyramids.
Since the
digging work began in mid-April on one of the three hills there
believed contain pyramids, researchers have unearthed a number
of large stone blocks.
Semir
Osmanagic, a self-styled Bosnian explorer who initiated the
work, says he believes the blocks are part of a pyramid's
surface.
Previously, satellite images showed that the hills in the valley
cooled a lot faster than their surroundings, proving the
substance of the structures was less dense and therefore
probably made by men.
Also, the
structures are precisely aligned with the four points of the
compass.
The
excavation work at Visoko, led by the foundation of local
archaeologists and volunteers, will last 200 days and is
expected to cost €125 000.
While
most Bosnians are hopeful the pyramids will be found, a group of
the country's archaeologists and historians have dismissed
Osmanagic's mission as a "farce".
