Armenian Churches in Turkey Pillaged by Treasure Hunters – The Economist

Photo Credit: Özge Sebzeci

The vast majority of treasure hunters in Turkey are searching for treasures they believe were left behind by Armenians, writes The Economist.

In a detailed article authored by Erin O’Brien explores the destruction caused by the hunt for Armenian buried treasure. He notes that racist stereotypes in Turkey often portrayed Armenians as hoarders, despite the fact that many were poor. It didn’t take long for people to speculate that Armenians fleeing the genocide buried their valuables, hoping they would one day return.

While some treasure hunts are harmless, the frenzied digging in Armenian churches and graveyards is destroying Turkey’s historical fabric. Artifacts are siphoned off to private dealers, and the crude methods used by treasure hunters cause irreversible damage to archaeological sites.

O’Brien points out that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has largely ignored the plundering in regions formerly inhabited by Armenians.

Today, most treasure hunts begin on social media. Countless treasure maps, supposedly drawn by Armenians, circulate online, though most are amateurish fakes with notes written anachronistically in modern Turkish. The treasure hunting business is rife with scams. Some people claiming to be imams or Armenian priests charge for rituals that allegedly reveal treasure locations. Another tactic involves creating fake maps showing treasure buried on wealthy individuals' properties. The con artist then produces a coin they claim to have found and convinces the landowner to pay for further excavations, only to abscond with the money.

Many antiquities trafficked by Turkish dealers are smuggled out of the country, often hidden in shipping containers labeled as ordinary goods, like “appliances.”

“Once, there were more than 600 churches around Lake Van. Now, fewer than 100 remain. Those that still stand resemble skeletons, their interiors pillaged by treasure hunters. Armenian engravings have been gouged out, and domes and columns have collapsed into rubble,” O’Brien writes.