Page 9 - World Of Nurol Magazine 30

In this issue of our magazine, we hold a pleasant conversation
with Hasan Yücel, who is the General Manager of Tümad
Mining, a company that left its mark on 2018 with the awards
it received. Nurol’s presence in the mining sector actually
goes back many years to the foundation of the Silivri Sand
Quarry in 1989, which to this day is producing various types
Editor As you will notice while reading through our conversation
of sand for use in construction projects in the Istanbul region.

with Mr. Yücel, the start of his tenure coincides with Nurol’s
decision to invest in the mining and production of gold and
silver in 2011. What is interesting, however, is that when
he was a young and enthusiastic engineer who had just
graduated from university, Mr. Yücel visited Nurettin Çarmıklı
asking him for a position at the Silivri sand quarry – to which
Mr. Çarmıklı replied, “Come back when you’re done with your
military service”. That fateful response led Mr. Yücel along a completely different path. Had he started working at
the quarry that day, perhaps Mr. Yücel would have not found the opportunity to develop himself professionally in
other areas, or to join Nurol’s gold mining operations.

At this juncture, I would like to give a brief refresher of Turkey’s underground wealth:

• The discovery of mines can be dated back to the discovery of fire towards the end of the stone age. Copper and
gold were the first metals to be crafted and used in human history. Differently from most other metals, gold
is resistant to oxidization, which prevents it from rusting, makes it insensitive to the effects of air and water,
and allows it to retain its form and properties over the long term. It is these features that have made gold one
of the most precious metals throughout history, leading many ancient cultures to consider it as a symbol of
immortality and power. Another important feature of gold is the relative softness of its pure form, which makes
it easy to fashion into different objects. It also explains why, along with silver, gold has always been a preferred
metal for the making household items, weapons, statues, ornaments and jewellery.
• As you may remember from your chemistry lessons, the symbol of gold in the periodic table is “Au”, which comes
from the Latin word aurum, meaning “bright dawn”.
• The reason why so many advanced civilizations emerged out of Anatolia was the fertility of its lands as well
as its climate and the richness of its underground resources. Excavations of the remains of Hattusha (present
day Çorum-Boğazkale), the capital of the Hittite people that migrated to Anatolia in around 1650 B.C., have
unearthed large quantities of gold ornaments and jewellery dating back to even more ancient times. In an
inscription, the Hittite King Hattusili I recounted the wealth of the city with the following words: “... there was no
beginning nor end to the [city’s] silver and gold ...”

• Another king from ancient Anatolia who was renowned for his wealth was the Phrygian King Midas, who is
reputed to have turned everything he touched into gold. The legend goes as follows

One day, while Dionysus, the God of Arts, Entertainment and Wine, and his companions were wandering in Phrygia
where one of them, old Silenus, eventually felt tired and fell asleep under the shadow of a tree, falling behind the rest
of the group. Some commoners who came across Silenus by himself mocked him and brought him to King Midas.
King Midas, however, treated Silenus like a king for 10 days, and then took him back to Dionysus. The god was so
pleased to have his companion back that he said he would reward Midas with a wish.

Midas replied, “I want everything that I touch to turn to gold.” Dionysus granted his wish, making the King very
happy. That night, the King attended at a banquet with a great appetite, but found that everything he touched did
indeed turn to gold. His bread, his food, and even his beautiful daughter when held in his embrace. Dumbfounded and
confused, the King felt great regret, seeing that his wish had been misunderstood. So he asked the god to rescind his
wish, for it had become impossible for him to live with this, which had proven to be more of a curse. As a solution, the
god told him to bathe in the river of Pactolus.
King Midas did as Dionysus told him, washing himself in the river, which absolved him of his wish, but also turned the
sands of the river into gold. Located on the banks of the same river, the city of Sardis became rich from this gold, and
the people of the city would become the first to mint coins. In Turkish, the expression “To be rich like Karun” (“Karun
gibi zengin”) actually comes from the name Croesus, who was the King of Sardis.
As we enter the first days of 2019, I would like to wish all of you a Happy New Year in which I hope all your wishes
come true, but kindly remind you to be “careful what you wish for, for it may become true”.
Meral SARI CEYLAN
Editor

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