The destructive quest for the buried treasure of the Armenians

Thousands of Turks are destroying their country’s heritage in the hunt for gold

By Erin O’Brien

In eastern Turkey there is a steep-walled canyon known as the Devil’s Valley. According to legend, anyone who drinks from the black stream that flows through it will be cursed. Another story tells of a man from an ancient civilisation who hid 70 perfect crystals there, underneath a rock shaped like a cockerel. The treasure lay undisturbed for thousands of years.

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