The Bosnian Pyramids.
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
a press conference held on September 2nd, 2007 at Radon Plaza Hotel, experts from Egypt confirmed existence of pyramids in Bosnia. Expert team is consisting of:
Dr. Prof. Nabil Mohamed Abdel Swelim, three times professor of archaeology an egyptology, who discovered four pyramids in Egypt
Prof. Dr. Mona Fouad Aly, the Chair of the Restoration Department - Archaeological University, Cairo
Prof. Dr. Suleiman Hamed El Haweli, an expert on Pharaonic-Period Egypt at Archaeological University in Cairo
Prof. Dr. Aly Abd Alla Barakat from the Egyptian Mineralogy Institute
They all confirmed existence of colossal, man-made stone structures in Visoko Valley.
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