The Pyramids…no, not those pyramids

Visoko, Bosnia-Herzegovina

"The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want." Ernest Hemingway

Greetings from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This country was not on my bingo card for this trip but what a fun surprise!

I was excited to write about this country not only because of all the fun we had but because Bosnia-Herzegovina would be a milestone for me, or at least that's what I thought.

Just for fun I use an App called Visited which another traveler told me about, to keep a list of the places I've been. Well, I thought Bosnia would be #50 (not that numbers matter, it’s more about the experience) but it turns out I forgot to mark Scotland and Ireland (sorry guys) off the list so I'm at #52. Bubble bursted. But it does mean that Croatia would be #50 so that’s memorable!

The Bosnia border takes approximately two hours from Zagreb by car. I was slightly nervous about the border crossing but it was a breeze and they couldn't have been more welcoming. Once we were officially in Bosnia, we stopped at this darling little place for lunch, Restoran 'Stari Hrast'. I had the goulash and Maja opted for Margarita pizza. Both were homemade and delicious but sadly yours truly forgot to take a photo. I know you guys love food pictures. Sorry.

Our final destination for the day was another two-and-a-half hours to the charming town of Visoko (just outside of Sarajevo) where we spent two nights in a cute apartment we rented in the city center.

The reason we came to this town was to check an item off of Maja’s bucket list - The Pyramid of The Sun. I had no idea these Pyramids even existed! Below is an aerial photo I borrowed from the Google Maps page.

The Pyramids in Bosnia have caused quite a stir regarding whether or not they are real/legitimate so we went to investigate it for ourselves. What an adventure! I love a good scavenger hunt.

To not cause any confusion, below is a little bit about the discovery story taken directly from one of the signs on the property.

DISCOVERY OF THE BOSNIAN PYRAMID OF THE SUN

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun was discovered by the anthropologist Dr Sam Semir Osmanagich in April 2005 while visiting Visoko and local Museum for the first time. Even though the pyramid was covered by soil, bushes and forest, he noticed regular four-sided pyramid geometry with the four corners. Compass showed perfect side orientation to the cardinal points: East-West, North-South.

He applied as individual and received the permission from the Ministry of Culture for the preliminary investigation during the year 2005. Based on the results of the geological core drilling, archaeological trenches and Lab analysis, he wrote the book about the discovery of the first European pyramids and published the news at the press conference on October 25, 2005 in Sarajevo that first European pyramids have been discovered.

Afterwards, he established non-profit Foundation under the name 'Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun' for the archaeological and scientific research and archaeological tourism and started the project which has become the most active archaeological site in the world.

Many skeptics in the science and archeological fields have said Sam’s claims are false.

There is a ton of information online so I'll let you do your own research and decide for yourself but here is what we experienced.

Sam has purchased a good portion of land near the Pyramid of the Sun. Like all tourist attractions, restaurants and cafes have popped up as well as little shops selling healing crystals and trinkets.

Since discovering the pyramid, Sam, his team, and many volunteers have discovered underground tunnels connecting each site and dug out over two kilometers and built reinforcements that allow people to tour inside.

We didn't come all this way for nothing, so of course we bought a ticket for a guided tour. A hard hat is required since many of the passageways are low and you never know, a rock could fall on your head.

I took some video of inside the tunnels so you can get a feel for what it’s like.

Below is a photo of a side tunnel they are beginning to work on. It is full of “fill dirt” with a strong concrete-like material creating the tunnel.

Our lovely tour guide Amile explained a lot about energy, vibrations, and ions..and those facts and figures flew right over my blonde head (I studied Advertising in college, give me a break). So, as a backup I've pulled the info from the signage. There are three of these blocks inside the tunnels. The one thing that is not mentioned on the sign but she explained is that inside these ceramic blocks are “energy healing” crystals which emitts a vibration. Possibly quartz. Bosnia is known for smokey quartz crystals.

EGG-SHAPED CERAMIC BLOCK

Stone block was discovered in 2006 and it was completely covered by the conglomerate. It's located over the underground water flow. Surface is modeled as relief. The pointed section of the ceramic block shows direction of the side tunnel that is sealed off. There is a line on the top of the ceramic block that suggest existence of the "cover".

Egg-Shaped Ceramic Block: Concentration of Negative lons September 2018: 20.000 - 30.000 neg. ion/cem.

BOVIS SCALE-VIBRATIONAL QUALITY

Chamber by Egg-Shaped Block

Healthy Person: 7.500 Bovis

Tibetan Temple: 14.000 Bovis

Egg-shaped stone 20.000 Bovis

She explained that the vibrations from this object have a healing effect on the body. We all laid our hands on it and we could feel a little tingle in our fingers from it after a while…but it could be from the cold. Mysterious.

After our brief but educational tour, Maja and I sat in the “meditation chamber” (basically a little area with benches inside the tunnels) to relax, meditate and soak up the ions…or was it negative ions? I don't know, whichever is healthier for you, just play along, okay. I will say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was cool, dark, quiet, and extremely relaxing. I felt good when we resurfaced…and really, isn’t that what we all want in life? To feel good.

After our time in the tunnels, our good vibes in tow, and lunch, we drove over to the area where you can hike on the outside of the pyramid to see the excavation site. The views of the city were beautiful. Bosnia is quite pretty. The landscape is mostly either farm fields or forests.

Along the hike there is more signage about the discovery and research including the alignment, orientation, and proximity of each pyramid to the others and to the Earth. More math.

At the top of the mountain, the local tour guide explained about the “concrete” they've discovered and the results of the testing.

Here is another excerpt from a sign on the property.

Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun is covered in superior artificial concrete according to the Institute for Materials from France, Czech Republic, Italy, Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Pyramid builders used rocks, pebbles and sand from the underground tunnels and as a binder nearby melted clay was used. This concrete is harder (155 MPs) than modern concrete with lower water absorption (1% ).

Overall, it was a fun experience and not your everyday rodeo. If the pyramids are real, they would be the first pyramids discovered in Europe which is exciting. The explanations from both sides of this controversy are convincing. I’ll let you decide for yourself but as for me, it is a mystery and the jury is still out. I'm no scientist or archaeologist but from my advertising background, Sam has done a heck of a job marketing the place. Plus, he is dedicating his life (and money) to this project. He is onsite most days, including the day we were there. He gave a lecture in the evening so we listened to him speak for a little while. He is quite convincing.

For Sam’s sake, I hope the pyramids are the real deal.

Time (and research) will tell.

Good Things List

1. Wild goose chases and fun road trips.

Much love & gratitude from Bosnia-Herzegovina 🇧🇦 Namaste 🙏

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Breakfast

Tennis legend Novak Djokovic is a huge sponsor of this project. There is signage with his photo from his visits to the site and contributions around the complex. Plus, he has built a (really nice) tennis court on Sam’s property where they have developed a park for the public to enjoy.

Addition photos and signage if you'd like to read more about it.

A comparison of the Egyptian pyramids and the Pyramid of the Sun.