The destructive quest for the buried treasure of the Armenians

Thousands of Turks are destroying their country’s heritage in the hunt for gold

By Erin O’Brien

In eastern Turkey there is a steep-walled canyon known as the Devil’s Valley. According to legend, anyone who drinks from the black stream that flows through it will be cursed. Another story tells of a man from an ancient civilisation who hid 70 perfect crystals there, underneath a rock shaped like a cockerel. The treasure lay undisturbed for thousands of years.

Explore more

Discover more

1843 magazine | Inside the AI back-channel between China and the West

Computer scientists are reaching out across the geopolitical divide to try to stop an apocalypse

1843 magazine | A journey through the world’s newest narco-state

Drugs transformed Ecuador from a Latin American success story into a war zone


1843 magazine | The radioactive flood threatening Central Asia’s breadbasket

What it’s like to live with nuclear waste on your doorstep


1843 magazine | Why I gave up trying to delete myself from the internet

An enjoyable trip down memory lane soon became a boring full-time job

1843 magazine | Why aren’t Harris and Trump listening to Pennsylvania’s steelworkers?

The candidates oppose the takeover of US Steel. But employees want it to go ahead