AIR MONITORING IN THE BOSNIAN VALLEY OF THE PYRAMIDS – PART 1
It has all the ingredients of a thrilling novel or an exciting blockbuster movie: strange megalithic structures, sacred geometry, mysterious tunnels and a charismatic explorer on the trail of an ancient truth. But this is no work of fiction.
In the fertile valley of Visoko, some 30 kilometres from Sarajevo, researchers and volunteers have spent the last ten years gradually uncovering traces of an advanced pyramid culture from before the last ice age.
Such things have always fascinated Analox’s Technical Writer, Paul Smith. Unable to suppress the curiosity any longer, Paul and his wife signed up for the Spring Equinox Tour and Conference 2015, hosted by the inspirational Dr. Sam Semir Osmanagich, Ph.D.
Dr. Sam first identified the pyramid complex in 2005 during a visit to Visoko. Preliminary investigations soon followed and a non-profit organisation was created: the ‘Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation’. This is funded by a combination of tourist fees, grants, donations and Dr. Sam’s own money.
Since that time the Foundation has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to its pyramids and tunnel labyrinth. It has also worked tirelessly to promote other historic sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina, bringing hope to a country still recovering from the devastating war of the early 1990s.
As a newcomer to Analox, and keen to learn more about gas detection, Paul took the opportunity to pack an Analox Aspida along with his guidebooks and walking boots. The open-minded approach of the Foundation and its support for independent research would hopefully allow for some air analysis…
Sure enough, the dual sensor Analox Aspida was welcomed by the Foundation. At various points in the Ravne underground tunnel labyrinth, measurements of oxygen and carbon dioxide were conducted, with the Aspida’s rugged enclosure and highly portable design making it easy to use in such conditions.
The O2 and CO2 measurements were all within safe limits and the Aspida greatly impressed everyone present. Realising how useful it would be for the Foundation’s regular safety checks, Paul contacted Analox HQ to discuss the possibility of donating the Aspida to them. Fortunately, the answer was yes.
Mejra Kozlo, the Foundation’s geologist, was pleased to be able to add oxygen and carbon dioxide checks to the safety regime. Dr. Sam was grateful for the donation, saying, “It will greatly help us to monitor safety of the prehistoric tunnels…visited by thousands of tourists, volunteers, researchers and media”.
Photograph, left to right: Mejra Kozlo, Paul Smith, Dr. Sam Semir Osmanagich, Ph.D. (21 March 2015)
