Does Iraq have gold underground? #IRAQProgress
YES.
Besides having one of the largest oil reserves in the world, Iraq is also expected to gain immense recognition in the near future for producing gold. Iraq has a faint history of gold mining. Still, due to recent discoveries of gold reserves in the Western Desert, Kurdistan, and Aldajh, the Iraqi government expects the country's economy to grow.
Gold production value could someday rival oil production value due to the large quantities of gold found.
The ancient history of gold mining in Iraq
A relatively recent history of gold mining in Iraq dates back to around 4000 BC. Historical evidence indicates that the Sumerian civilization existed during that time in Mesopotamia, which is now southern Iraq.
Sumerian civilization's archaeological studies indicate that extraterrestrial beings sought help from Sumerians to mine gold from the surface of the earth. In the ancient city of Ur, gold was also discovered in abundance in the form of ornaments, according to archaeological findings.
It has been revealed that gold was primarily used by the royal class at royal ceremonies, religious gatherings, and funerals. Gold was found in the graves at Ur, and then in Nimrud, an ancient Assyrian city. These were also found in temples and treasures of the royals. They included ornaments, vessels, utensils, tools, and weapons and also added value to sculptures.
Gold jewelry crafted during the Sumerian civilization is still used today.
Gold sources in ancient history
In Mesopotamia, the sources of gold are uncertain. However, Sumerian texts do mention some sources of gold. According to Sumerian texts, some gold sources include the mythical land of Aratta, the mountain of Hahhum, Meluhha, Delmun, Su land in western Iran, and Mardaman in southeastern Turkey.
Iraqi gold prospecting
An Iraqi geologist has been trying to locate and find gold deposits. There have been reports of gold occurrences in the Gaara formation, consisting of ferruginous sandstones and ironstones in the western desert of Iraq. Mc Fayden was the first to suggest gold could be found in the Gaara sandstones in 1934. However, his investigations failed to prove it.
Gold was long forgotten until two geologists, Kettanah and Tobia, accidentally discovered it in 1984 while looking for iron.
The proportion of gold found in the samples collected in 1986 by Al-Bassam in the Chabid Al Abid region of the Gaara depression was not commercially viable. A second study conducted by Mustafa in the same region in 1999 revealed that the samples did contain adequate amounts of gold. The above research is documented by Mazin M. Mustafa and Faraj H. Tobia.
Iraq's recent gold discoveries
The eastern Baghdad region, the Western desert, and Kurdistan have all been discovered to have enormous gold deposits. Mining operations are currently underway in Aldajh. Exploration for gold was reportedly conducted in the past at other locations like Fudhaliyah and Obeidi.
Gold Production Strategy in Iraq
After discovering the country's vast gold deposits, the Iraqi government has developed a long-term thirty-year plan to exploit the country's mineral resources. In light of this, global mining companies will be permitted to mine and produce gold and other rare metals.
Commercial mining is a long-term effort, and the region's future stability is always a concern for other companies.
It is also difficult to produce gold and trade it in Iraq due to a lack of knowledge about gold trade in the local banking sector.
In order to train Iraqi bankers to become competent in the gold trade, Turkey, which produces a lot of gold, has stepped in. The Iraqi government is confident that gold will soon become as valuable as oil.
