The “Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun” has won a major victory in its bid to uncover the potential remains of a lost civilisation beneath the rocks and soil of the hill of Visocica.
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| The ‘Pyramid of the Sun’ in Bosnia [Credit: Web] |
The organisation has been attempting to win permission to excavate the site, which it believes hides a major pyramidal structure, since 2005 when explorer Dr Semir Osmanagic first proposed his theory that Visocica hill is actually an ancient pyramid, which he named the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun.
In 2007, the “Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun” prepared an interdisciplinary scientific research project of the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun and submitted its papers to the Government in order to request permission to explore the site.
Although the organisation had previously had permission to explore much of the area, this had been revoked when the Ministry of Culture and Sports extended a protected area on the hill, citing concerns that an ancient fort and town sited at the top of Visocica would be damaged by the work being carried out by Osmanagic.
In fact the Ministry of Physical Planning was also prepared to issue a license to the Foundation to give it permission to research the area but their application was subsequently turned down on three separate occasions by the Ministry of Culture and Sports (signed: Minister Gavrilo Grahovac).
They claimed that permission for the project could not be given “because the project envisaged measures that threaten cultural property, the planned measures are not of a permanent character and do not provide permanent protection of the archaeological site, and anticipated work would not have provided a professional approach to research.”
However, the Foundation stressed that its project meets all the measures designed to protect cultural property in the manner prescribed by law for the protection of cultural heritage. It also pointed out that those participating in the project design and research team included 47 eminent international scientists and experts.
The Foundation went on to request permits for archaeological and supporting research, arguing that it would ensure the conservation and preservation of the historical area of the ‘Old Town Visoki’.
Four years later, on 26th October 2011, the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo issued a final verdict upholding the complainant. Thus, after four years, the Pyramid project finally gets its green light – and the attitude of the Federal Service for Protection of Monuments towards the project has been open to questioning. Osmanagic was delighted with the outcome, saying, “Justice is slow but attainable. It is time to begin to demolish the bureaucratic world of negative attitude towards project.”
Source: Balkans Business News [January 19, 2012]
