Of Miracles and Pyramids in Bosnia

As our bar circle thinned out (because at this time, the youngsters had already formed their own little bands, my roommate included, and made their own night-out plans), I told our Tour Director that I had two questions for him before I retired for the night.

First, I wanted to know where Medjugorje is and what the closest major city is. I told him that I am Catholic and that a pilgrimage to Medjugorje is on my bucket list (even though this apparition site is not yet formally recognized by the Catholic Church, I still want to visit).

He said that Medjugorje is actually very close to Mostar, our next destination. In fact, it is only about an hour’s drive, that is, without traffic, which he doubted would be a problem, and that it could be an easy day trip from Mostar. Also, a lot of pilgrims make Mostar their base when going to Medjugorje because there are more accommodations and amenities available there. Wow! I never thought I’d be that close.

Second, I told him I was curious about the Bosnian pyramids supposedly hidden underneath a mountain range. Back in Sarajevo, I saw a lot of “pyramid” souvenirs, so I asked one for the shopkeepers about them. She told me that Bosnia has hidden pyramids not far from Mostar, even bigger than the ones in Egypt, but she was too busy to provide details, and that left me hanging for answers to the questions that formed in my head.

So I asked our Tour Director where they are located, the easiest route to get there, whether they would be visible from Mostar, and more importantly, what he thought of them – whether he believes that they are indeed pyramids or whether he thinks it’s just a product of one’s overactive imagination or a scientist’s desperate attempt to make a breakthrough with misinterpreted evidence.

His answers were – the mountains are about a two-hour’s drive from Mostar, and just like Medjugorje, could be an easy day trip if we leave early; no, they are not visible from Mostar; and yes, he believes they are pyramids.

Then, it was his turn to ask me a question. Where did I hear about this? He was surprised because this was the first time anyone from any of his tour groups mentioned the pyramids, and he had never expected anyone being interested in it, especially someone from so far away…all the way from North America. I told him about what the shopkeeper in Sarajevo said to me, and that I did some research after that. I came across a few articles about the Bosnian pyramids and the more I read about them, the more intrigued I became.

This speculation was started by a Bosnian businessman, author, and amateur archaeologist now based in Texas. He claimed that the cluster of hills in Visoko in Central Bosnia and Herzegovina are actually pyramids, and the largest man-made ancient pyramids on earth at that!

It was in 2005 while on a tour that he noticed the mountains. Despite being covered with forests and vegetation, the peaks had four precise sides that met at a point in their summits. The largest, which he named, “Pyramid of the Sun,” has ruins believed to be associated with medieval kings. He claims that by comparing the mountains’ forms to the pyramids of Egypt, China, and Central America, he discovered that they share similar structural characteristics.

From excavations, his team unearthed aggregate blocks under a meter of soil that are rectangular, six-sided, and seemingly made from a rough-type of concrete, clearly not natural. He also presented other pieces of evidence – electrical “beams” emitted from the top of the sun pyramid, fields of magnetic energy present in the mountains that are not commonly found in nature, tunnels with multiple chambers, flowing water, and artifacts from ancient cultures that thrived in the region.

Despite his “compelling” proofs, the archaeological academia declared his findings a hoax and his explanations were deemed “pseudo-archaeological’ with no sound scientific basis.

However, he gained supporters from the Bosnians, including a Prime Minister and two Presidents. The hype has also attracted the attention of the media and loads of tourists. There had also been claims of people being healed from their ailments by the “extraordinary energy” they felt while in the mountains and of psychics sensing a special kind of “vibration” from the ancient site.

Our Tour Director told me that though he has heard a lot about this, he has never been there himself because a trip to the pyramids has never been made part of the official tour. However, he has a personal interest in it, and he reiterated that he has a strong feeling they are “the real thing,” though he’d like to see them for himself first to confirm his suspicions. Only then could he tell if they “feel real” or not.

Seeing how intrigued I was, he made a proposal. If I would like, the two of us (and we could ask if there are others who would be interested), could go either to Medjugorje or Visoko on a day trip while the tour group stays in Mostar. There would be a local guide to lead the walking tour anyway and he said, renting a van for the day trip could easily be arranged. I was so tempted to say yes, but I told him that I would also like to see Mostar.

Besides, I wanted to be in Medjugorje and Visoko for more than half a day, so the day trip would not give me sufficient time to see what I want to see and experience what I want to experience in those places.

He considered what I said and agreed that those two destinations are meant for another time and a longer visit. He flagged to me that that this could be a message from the heavens telling me that I should make plans to go back to the Balkans pretty soon, for there was more to see and experience.

I told him that this trip was supposed to be an overview of what I would like to explore in-depth later, maybe with my family. There are enough reasons to go back to the Balkans.

First, the old village where my mother-in-law grew up back in Yugoslavian times is now part of Serbia. It would be nice to see it, and to visit Novi Sad, which is not far from there. Second, I definitely want to visit Medjugorje in Bosnia, but as part of a pilgrimage, not a tour. And now, a third reason is to see the Bosnian pyramids.

Our Tour Director remembered that I mentioned my husband is a geologist. He said, I should take him next time to show him their wonderful geology and to have him look at the Bosnian pyramids. Since he is a “rock expert,” he said, he could check out the mountains and tell us if the rocks they found there are natural or not. He seriously said he’s genuinely interested to find out.

I promised him that if I ever go back to the Balkans, I will surely contact him. He would be an excellent guide because he knows the region very well, plus, his upbeat personality and brand of humour would match my husband’s. He informed me that he conducts other tours outside the “youthful” tours from this travel company and that he can also customize the tour depending on client requests and requirements.

And with that, I thanked him and bid him goodnight, then headed to my room for my long shower. My roommate had gone to another one of our tour mate’s rooms for a round of drinks with her gang, and as usual, I was already in dreamland when she came back to the room.