Ever heard of the Bosnian pyramids?

If not, it's probably because they don't actually exist. But there are people who are quite determined to convince the whole world otherwise.

Near Sarajevo, there are two hills with a pyramidal shape. Almost 20 years ago, an enterprising Bosnian guy named Samir Osmanagic suddenly announced that these were actually man-made pyramids. So ancient that they'd gotten overgrown with earth over time and now look like natural hills. He tried to attract renowned archaeologists to excavate them, but the scientific community caught on pretty quickly, debunked his theory, and refused to participate in what was clearly a hoax.

The local authorities, though, got interested. They allocated a budget for research and development of the area. During the excavations, they tweaked the shape a bit and opened up a whole archaeological park. And to make sure the idea really caught on with the masses, they started bringing Bosnian schoolchildren on tours, telling them about their ancestors' great legacy.

I even ran into the consequences personally. I was learning Serbian from a girl from Bosnia. One time I asked her about these fake pyramids. Turns out, I nearly mortally offended her by questioning whether the structures were authentic. When I cautiously mentioned what the scientific community thinks, she told me that you can't necessarily trust these scientists about everything. Fortunately, not all Bosnians share that view.

PS. Osmanagic could've come across as reasonable, but lately he's been pushing a theory that special waves emanate from the hilltops, which serve as a cosmic "internet" and are also good for your health 🙈