Municipality workers of Tripolis arrived at the park of Areos Square with their heavy machinery as early as possible on Tuesday morning. Without delay they started to turn the square upside town in an effort to finally find the lost treasure the locals have been long talking about. The legend claims that the long lost treasure contains gold and precious items of priceless value.
The City Council of Tripolis, Central Peloponnese, had taken the decision to allow digging in Areos Square in September 2016, as the concerned area belongs to Municipality.
Almost a year and dozens of signatures later, everybody was ready for the much anticipated spectacle where the plug would bring into daylight a wooden chest full of sparkling gold and glittering jewelry and what a treasure chest in general contains.
Before the municipality squads arrived, police had cordoned the area behind the marble fountain outside the Church of Prophet Elias in Tripolis. Nobody was allowed to enter the area, except the municipality workers.
At 10 o’ clock in the morning everybody was there: officials from the regional archaeology department, members of the city council, the regional government and other bureaucratic bodies, police, and a crowd of locals chatting about the event, each one adding his own sauce about the alleged treasure.
According to a very vivid report by local media arcadiaportal.gr, one local bystander commented “where they dig, there are only toilets.” Another probably with good knowledge of similar issues said that “gold coins are normally hidden in a depth of one meter.” A third mentioned that there is “nothing more there than a cesspool” and a fourth knew that “those seeking for the treasure have not been charged with the excavation cost.”
The dredging machine entered the cordoned area and started to dig.
The request for the excavation has been submitted to the City Council by one or more “gentlemen” bystanders told arcadiaportal.gr.
The request for the excavation was submitted to the City Council of Tripolis by a resident of Patras, who had allegedly information that a treasure from the Ottoman times was buried in the park area of the city between the Church and the Grande Challet.
The project was to start earlier but there was some delay. Reason? Probably bureaucracy.
The dredging machined dag for one hours, yet not a single gold coin, a red ruby, a plain gold ring or even a silver chocolate paper was found.
The machine had brought to daylight a bunch of iron bars, toilet tiles and a very old toilet flush instead. Why all this toilet mess? Because, public toilets used to stand in the area, until some 30 years ago. Then the project was abandoned and buried where it stood.
Locals seem confused about the origins of the treasure. The hear-saying had done a good work. Some rumors claim “the treasure belonged to Ibrahim Pasha* or to Hurshid Pasha* from the times Tripolis was under Ottoman occupation. Others claim it is “gold bars” hidden by the Nazis during the occupation in World World II.
Some of the bystanders said they believed there was indeed a treasure “otherwise why the fuzz?” one asked. However, a man also convinced that there was a treasure said the buried treasure chest was not where they dig but in another area of the city. “If it is from the Ottomans then it in near the Tripolis Baths, where the pasha’s palace was.”
By 11 o’ clock an even larger dredger with a bigger plug was added to the excavation ‘forces’. Still. The findings were nothing more than debris, iron bars and WC tiles.
Even a specialist was called in to assist the excavation team. The man arrived with his magic rod that detects metal but not gold. Nevertheless, the man did the job he was asked to do. Short after 11 o’ clock, a very old toilet flush was found …and excavated.
Digging works were halted by 12 noon as a tree had to be cut and for this permission by the Forestry Department was needed. The forestry official is expected in the area.
If the treasure is found 50% goes to the Tripolis City Council and 50% to the man who submitted the excavation request.
UPDATE After digging a 3-meter deep hole, the project was given up short after 1 o’ clock Tuesday.
No gold, no jewelry but plenty of debris and toilet tiles.
Municipality workers left, police and authorities left, locals went home.
Now the local community wonders why had the municipality to come up for the cost of excavation of a private person. via arcadiaportal.gr
*pasha = title local governors, generals and princes in Ottoman Empire
PS If the treasure is Ottoman, Erdogan will add the area into his list of ‘islands to claim from Greece.” If it is Nazi gold, you know very well what will happen…
Wish you all the best of luck on your treasure hunt.