This made mainstream news...


As "antique" gold coins from the Middle East pour into the United States, some looters are turning to spirits called "jinn" in their hunt for gold treasure. A few gold seekers even go so far as to try to get the jinn to possess them in hopes that the spirits will guide them to that hidden jackpot.

However, research by archaeologists and an investigation conducted by Live Science suggest that rarely, if ever, does using the jinn help looters find gold artifacts. Rather, metal detectors and mass excavation of archaeological sites seem to be the most effective ways of looting treasure.


Gold fever

Throughout the Middle East, looters have raided numerous archaeological sites over the past two decades. This theft is driven by multiple factors, including war, poverty and demand for artifacts, archaeologists have said.

U.S. government documents obtained by Live Science reveal that shipments of gold coins, which the records describe as being over 100 years old, shipped from the Middle East to the United States, have increased dramatically over the last 25 years. In fact, between 2011 and 2017, nearly 452 lbs. (205,000 grams) of these gold coins were shipped to the U.S. from the Middle East, compared with just 10.8 lbs. (4,900 grams) between 1992 and 2000.

That weight, 452 lbs., is the equivalent of more than 36,000 modern-day U.S. quarters, according to the U.S. Mint. It's not clear how many of the gold coins were looted.

Archaeologists working in the Middle East told Live Science that looters, as well as people not involved in looting, strongly believe that gold treasure — be it coins or otherwise — waits to be found in the region. Many looters think that the Ottoman Empire (which existed between 1299 and 1922) left behind gold as it retreated from parts of the Middle East.

"There's this big lore about Ottoman gold being left behind when the Ottomans left the area," said Morag Kersel, an anthropology professor at DePaul University in Chicago, who investigates the antiquities trade as part of her research. Kersel has talked to looters who operate in Israel, Palestine and Jordan. "They're always on the hunt for that."
Spirit possession

Kersel and Salah Al-Houdalieh, an archaeology professor at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, have both noted that looters are particularly interested in jinn. This type of spirit, according to legends told in the Middle East, guards "protected treasure," usually consisting of gold.

"According to my interviews with sheikhs [individuals with religious knowledge] and antiquities looters, yes, of course, [they believe] most of the protected treasures are made of gold and the majority of the gold is coins," Al-Houdalieh told Live Science.

The sheikhs Al-Houdalieh interviewed said that "usually protection [for a treasure] is sought by the original owner who makes the request to a sorcerer ('saher') experienced in such matters. The sorcerer, in turn, summons his contact from the jinn world, usually the prince or princess of one of the jinn tribes [according to legend tribes consisting entirely of jinn exist]" wrote Al-Houdalieh in a paper published in 2012 in the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology. If the owner dies, the jinn continue guarding the treasure, the sheikhs and looters told Al-Houdalieh.

In some instances, looters will try to get jinn to possess them, or someone with them, in hopes that the jinn will take the gold seekers to protected treasure, Al-Houdalieh's research found. The looter will hire a sheikh who will perform a ceremony that supposedly results in jinn possession.

"For the sheikhs, it is business. Either they receive money in advance, which is very rare, or they receive money after selling the hunted objects. They receive a share of 20 percent or more, depending on the deal they made," Al-Houdalieh told Live Science. During the spirit-possession ceremony, the sheikhs "read special verses of the Holy Quran," said Al-Houdalieh, adding that he has seen no evidence that hypnosis or drugs are used.

The looters who undergo spirit possession claim that they experience memory loss. From what the looters say, "there is a temporary loss of memory, but repeated possession by jinn may cause permanent negative impact on the behavior of the possessed person," Al-Houdalieh said. He's careful to note that in all instances he has seen, the supposedly possessed person fails to find gold treasure.

Looters believe they can interact with the jinn in other ways, too, Al-Houdalieh and Kersel said. In some cases, looters will search for signs in the landscape that the jinn has hidden treasure nearby. In other cases, looters claim that they are attacked by jinn when they enter an area that has treasure the jinn are protecting. Some of the looters that Al-Houdalieh has interviewed claim that the jinn can take both animal and human form and attack people when they get close to a protected treasure — with the spirits dressing in white clothes when they appear in human form.

In some stories, the jinn communicate through a young child or a sign that the jinn supposedly leave on a stone. "I have heard from folks that the jinn themselves haven't come to them but [instead] through a 5-year-old boy, or through someone else, or through a sign that's left on the stone [so that] they know that the jinn are telling them to dig here," Kersel said.

Al-Houdalieh noted a case in which a sheikh supposedly had a jinn possess a child, who then allegedly gave the location of treasure before the sheikh told the jinn to leave the child's body. Six looters used the information the child had given, but they never found that treasure.
Live Science investigation

Curious to learn more about this connection between looters and the jinn, I launched my own investigation. I joined an online social media group in which people who try to use the jinn to find treasure often congregate, and then I monitored the group for two months. I found that many of the people who use the jinn to look for treasure are based in Israel, Palestine or Jordan.

The people I encountered were particularly interested in what they claimed to be "signals" from the jinn. The users often posted photos and videos of features they encountered in caves or hillsides that they believed, if analyzed correctly, would lead to hidden treasure. These features often show fractures or holes on a rock surface. Those who posted the photos often asked for "expert analysis" from people in the group. On a few occasions, people found rock art or stone structures that are actual archaeological remains, but the users believed the sites to be "signals" from the jinn.

Some people posted about looting issues other than those involving the jinn, such as how to buy a metal detector in Jordan or how to recruit an expert who is knowledgeable about archaeological remains. One post discussed safety issues when trying to loot a site, such as how to tell when oxygen is running out in a cave (a candle going out is a supposedly a good indication) and how to crawl through tunnels without getting stuck. Members of the group rarely discussed spirit possession.

People sometimes posted pictures of artifacts, such as pottery, that they claimed to have found, with the help of the jinn or otherwise. But I found no evidence that anyone in the group had succeeded in uncovering gold artifacts while seeking the jinn's help. Al-Houdalieh found similar failures with the jinn.

How do looters really find gold coins?

Regardless of the jinn, gold artifacts are rarely found at archaeological sites, noted Kersel in an article published this summer in News & Notes, a magazine published by The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago.

Given how hard it is to find actual ancient gold coins, people sometimes create forgeries. In Egypt, modern-day gold is sometimes molded into coins that are made to look ancient. "A lot of local jewelers fake gold coins and sell them as antiquities," Monica Hanna, an Egyptologist working with Egypt's Heritage Task Force, told Live Science in 2016.

When looters in the Middle East do find gold coins, the treasure hunters seem to have used metal detectors rather than the jinn. In a paper published last year in the Journal of Field Archaeology, researchers Neil Brodie and Isber Sabrine interviewed six people living in Syria who either are involved in looting or have extensive knowledge of looting activities.

Those interviewed said that metal detectors or massive work gangs that could dig up vast areas of an archaeological site quickly were used to look for coins and sometimes gold coins were discovered. The researchers granted the six people they interviewed anonymity to protect their identity and to allow them to speak freely.

One of the people the researchers interviewed claimed that a hoard of Roman gold coins found at the archaeological site of Tell Hamamiat was sold, along with some figurines, for $150,000 in the town of Al Madiq [also called Qalaat al-Madiq] in Syria.

"What stands out now from these interview texts is the use of metal detectors and the commercial importance of coins," wrote Brodie, a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford, and Sabrine, a Ph.D. researcher at the University of Girona in Spain, in their journal article. Coins are "very easy to loot, very easy to move and very easy to hide" Sabrine told Live Science.

Sabrine said that while he hasn't heard stories of people in Syria using the jinn to find gold treasures, it is possible. Regardless of which method looters use to find artifacts, Sabrine said that some of the most interesting looted artifacts from Syria may not appear on the antiquities market until years after the civil war in Syria ends. The war has been raging since 2011 and has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions of Syrians to flee their homes.


https://www.livescience.com/64130-middl ... ssion.html

Mmm this was also quite a boom in Indonesia, maybe now as well.

Example of an article in 2016 (translated via google translate):

*Treasure Hunt Owned by Spirits*

The story of treasure hunting belonging to these spirits has been going on since tens or even hundreds of years ago. Various methods of ritual are performed by humans to get them. As for what is meant as a treasure trove of spirits here is a legacy of the kings of the times. Or it could also be assets related to the first Indonesian President. Bung Karno. Yes, all of that is said to have been stored in the motherland. It is said that there are hidden in the mountains or caves, or in other places.

Unfortunately, the procession of taking the treasure is not as easy as imagined. The reason is none other than because the property in general has been guarded by the fine nation. The spirits or genies certainly will not simply give their property to humans. Because they are smarter and cunning than us. They will only give their possessions to humans if the human is willing and can redeem them to give what they ask for. Usually the request is very strange and can certainly harm humans. In other words, it must redeem more than what it gives us. Therefore, every asset or object we ask for, we exchange it for what they need. It is this submission of bids from the ghoib that must be taken into account so that they are not deceived.

There are many examples of treasure hunts belonging to ghoib creatures that have been blasphemous in society, namely rituals about pesugihan. This ritual has clearly taken and asked for a wealth so that we are given or more precisely borrowed property. Even though we already know exactly that the ghoib creature will ask for compensation in the form of sacrifice, both life and something of value in our lives.

You might still remember the excavation of the Bogor Slate treasure that had stirred it up. Because they experienced the /pros/ and /cons/ of the community, finally the effort failed. However, this clearly shows how much our community's trust and interest in property belonging to the elite and small people belong to. In fact, according to experience and observation, an objector precious metal that has been buried in the ground for more than ten years will be controlled by ghib creatures in the region. The property will be guarded so strongly by ghoib creatures, that it is not easy for people to take it.

Some experiences about this I have done with a friend. Among them is that I took part in the process of a ritual for removing treasure in the form of gold bars. In the Cilacap area, I was informed that in a cave near Benteng Pendem, there were relics of the Dutch era which allegedly had gold bullets. But after being detected further,it turned out that there were indeed some relics and one of them was a bullion of gold bars

Because of the intention that was so sure, I continued to make a withdrawal. With ubo rampe or certain requirements, the withdrawal process begins. With a long ritual, we finally managed to get three gold bars and each one kilogram in weight. Observing from the physicality of the item is truly pure gold. Especially on the surface clearly written using embossed letters reads: The Gold of CoLOMBIA 99.9 k. While the other two plates read: THE GOLD of SWISS MADE 99.9 k. This means that this gold is truly original from Switzerland and Colombia with a weight of one kilogram less.

I was so happy at that time. But after I checked in a gold shop,it turned out that the bar was just a brass sari or some kind of ordinary brass metal that cost not far from copper. Because I was still in doubt, I tried checking back to some of the other gold shops.The result is the same, the plate is only brass metal.

After a few years, I tried to make a withdrawal in a mountain. Something similar happened again. The object which is believed to be a gold plate, is only brass metal which is better known as brass sari. This metal is square and weighs 0.3 kg. in my opinion, this object has been buried for hundreds of years. Impressed from the structure of his physical form that seemed to have been smooth, porous and beret. We suspect that this gold is a relic of an empire that existed in the past.

Out of curiosity, we confirmed the brass cider (not real gold) with a metaphysics expert. According to him, brass was basically real gold. But because it has been hidden for tens or even hundreds of years, so that over time, the precious metal is controlled by the creatures who have it or who feel mastered the gold.

Indeed, I also felt that there was something strange, because if it was dotted from its physical form, the object was clearly a gold,especially if it was reinforced by a writing that appeared on the surface of the object. But, when we checked into several gold shops, the object was not gold but only ordinary brass. Apparently so clever and clever in deceiving ghoib creatures towards humans.

"In general, Jinns who control objects like that or treasure, are not just any genie. But the genie who has the ability and high knowledge. So it's very smart and observant. We are not easy to subdue and defeat him. To be sure, they are never willing and willing to give their wealth to us without the lure and certain rewards that are very detrimental to ourselves. Sometimes we are deceived by them. "According to expert metaphysics.

The last experience related to the property of the ghoib creature was when I was asked by a resident to withdraw the treasure in the form of gold which was intentionally buried in the land which was located right in one of the rooms of his house. But what happened was unexpected. The day before the retrieval was carried out, my friend was quite an expert in this field who claimed to have been terrorized by the golden guardian spirits until my friend suffered a severe shock. As a result, the gold search was canceled.

Jinn nation is not stupid, before he already knew what we wanted, and what was more beneficial for him. Even if there are ghoib creatures who want and can give their wealth to us, of course we have to pay it too with a reward that is not commensurate. In addition, the various sources that I collected and obtained, treasure hunts belonging to the ghoib tribunal are still a mystery that is difficult to solve.

Because we have different spaces and dimensions. Hopefully this dish can be an insight for us to act wiser and be more mature in solving problems in life. Never be tempted by property or wealth belonging to spirits that are not fake and are a deception from the Jinn nation to plunge humans.

translated from: http://sidqonkhafid.com/2016/07/03/berb ... luk-halus/

Very interesting article Magnolia, thanks for posting it 1ak. I agree that the use of Metal detecting, and where possible, drones equipped with LIDAR is the modern way to go. A lot safer than possession 1la

This seems so far-fetched, even for me, as someone whose parents come from the Middle East. Only once did I hear of a story remotely connected to this concept, and even then, it was about people trying to loot treasure guarded by Djinn.

Why anyone would allow possession by Djinn for selfish reasons are beyond me. The general culture I know of would deem Djinn possession as a sin by the Djinn and a sign of uncleanness (at the very least) by the host.

I think what I found most interesting, rather than the actual content of the article itself, was the fact the article was printed at all. Not even 20 years ago something like this would have never hit mainstream media, because it would be considered too radical and ridiculous. I think the defrosting of people's minds towards embracing the mystical is a wonderful thing. People forget it wasn't very long ago (comparatively to the existence of humanity) people lived their entire lives in a much more mystical, spiritual, and magical way.

As to possession, I completely agree it is never the way.

It would be nice to see mainstream acceptance of the mystical. I believe that it would net a good effect for us all.

I think I would like to read the article in its original form, if there were comments from mainstream views because I am curious what the "every day" person would have to say about the subject. I'm sure a lot would bring up evil and heresy, but it would be quite interesting to have a look. Of course, it doesn't surprise me that metal detecting and other methods are very much more effective then trying to get a Djinn to possess them. I suppose anything for a quick buck these days, even for the more mainstream thinkers.

I think that, especially in the United States, there is a sort of purist form of secularism where for years anything outside of science has been considered entirely laughable and unintelligent and ridiculed. It's funny because not that long ago (perhaps 100 years?) investigation into spiritual phenomena (spiritualism) was considered a subsection of scientific investigation.

My point, however, is that as a society we seem to have forgotten that most of the world still accepts spiritualism and takes it seriously. I think the article from Live Science is flexing an old muscle - to attempt to investigate spiritual possession (by jinn) and what affect that has had on treasure hunting. It's interesting that they've taken it as a serious point of investigation, and perhaps Magnolia is right. Maybe the pendulum is finally swinging back to a more open-minded direction again.