Khaberni - Social media has been circulating news for hours about the discovery of a cave containing gold in the city of Harrah in the northern countryside of Daraa governorate, which led to the gathering of hundreds of residents around the excavation site amid chaos and stampede.
In this context, Dr. Wael Zamil, Director of the Sanamayn area, confirmed on Saturday evening that what has appeared so far is a small opening during the digging of a basement in one of the houses, and its nature has not yet been confirmed, according to what was conveyed by Daraa governorate on its channel on the "Telegram" application.
Zamil emphasized that there is no evidence of gold at the site, pointing out that security units have taken strict deployment measures to prevent stampedes and ensure the safety of the people, while awaiting the arrival of a specialized team from the Directorate of Antiquities to perform the technical examination and precisely determine the nature of the opening.
He called on the residents not to be swayed by rumors and urged the media to ensure accuracy and credibility in reporting the news, warning that continued gatherings may endanger people's lives due to stampedes and overcrowding.
On the other hand, local sources said that large numbers of residents are still gathering for hours around the excavation site, while internal security faces difficulty in breaking up the gatherings and has had to fire warning shots amid reports of a wounded person.
Locally, the "Daraa 24" news network pointed out that quantities of gold were found in the same area in previous years, which had then been controlled by the ousted regime, but the current confirmation of gold at the site has not yet been made.
Security forces have imposed a curfew in the city of Harrah until 6 AM tomorrow, Sunday, as a result of large crowds gathering following a rumor of the discovery of a gold cave during the excavation of a basement for building in the center of the city.
"False Gold" causes a stir in a Syrian village
In the past August, rumors spread on social media claiming the discovery of quantities of gold in the village of Al-Buhamad in the Raqqa governorate in northeastern Syria, which sparked a wave of interest among the local residents, before it turned out that the discovered material was "pyrite", popularly known as "fool's gold".
Geology experts at the time said that the mineral appearing in the circulated photos is iron sulfide (FeS₂), a mineral with a misleading golden sheen, which people often mistake for real gold.
