IRAQ: PANNING THE RIVER TIGRIS FOR GOLD скачать в хорошем качестве

IRAQ: PANNING THE RIVER TIGRIS FOR GOLD

(17 Dec 1999) Arabic/Nat Six years of economic sanctions have crushed much of Iraq's industries. Now many Iraqis are trying to make a living the old way - on the banks of the Tigris River. Hundreds of residents of Baghdad have begun panning the river for gold, hoping to sift a living from the former dumping ground for the capital's goldsmiths. These people are banking their futures on the banks of the Tigris. Scores of poor Iraqis have taken to panning for gold in the riverbed silt. They sift for the dust and shavings discarded decades ago by Baghdad's goldsmiths, whose trade boomed at the turn of the century and trailed off 40 years ago. Old men and children alike prospect for gold by straining sand from the river. They have to go through huge quantities of sand to find even a minute amount of gold. But even one tiny speck on the fingernail of a child can add up after weeks of collecting such small fragments. The search for gold starts at sunrise every day and the workers continue right through to sunset. It is harsh work, but the lure of finding a few precious grains and the money that will bring spurs people on to continue throughout the day. The hunt for gold intensified in recent years because of the economic embargo imposed upon Iraq. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) "Searching for gold was very limited before the embargo was imposed upon us, but recently a lot of people are involved in this business because it allows us to make a good living." SUPER CAPTION: Mohamed Hanza For the prospectors, finding gold is the best way to earn money - now that the Iraqi authorities have lifted earlier restrictions on the practice. After dusk, the lucky few who did manage to strike gold go to a nearby alley to watch a solderer melt the microscopic specks into nuggets. It may take weeks of work to produce a small nugget. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) "This small piece of gold is worth one hundred and fifty-five Iraqi dinars." SUPER CAPTION: Salem Al Desahi The bits of gold are then sold back to goldsmiths, who may end up using gold their ancestors discarded decades ago in modern-day jewellery. But U-N sanctions leave few Iraqis able to afford the ornaments, so some just trade the gold for goods. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...