Turkish villagers excavate under mosque 7 times in search of gold

Locals of a village in the Black Sea province of Samsun have excavated under a mosque seven times since 2015 in search of buried gold to no avail. Although the excavations were carried out legally, no signs of treasure have been found.

Tuesday December 29 2020 12:03 pm

Locals are seen watching the seventh and last excavation in this file photo.

Duvar English

Locals conducted seven excavations under a mosque in the Black Sea province of Samsun because of rumors that there was gold underneath the Byzantine-era structure.

Converted into a mosque in 1928, the mosque in Karaperçin village in 2015 was rumored to be the site of an ancient treasure.

Locals have legally excavated areas around the structure seven times since then, but have yet to find any signs of a buried treasure.

The villagers have also renovated the structure over the years and enjoy using it as a place of worship, Karaperçin Neighborhood Cevdet Karaduman said.

"As neighborhood residents, we care for this mosque like it is the apple of our eye."