Treasure of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves Discovered in Turkey Dec 05, 2009 Ankara, (SANA)-Turkish news reports mentioned that the treasure of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves was uncovered in Turkey. The reports said that workers who were digging a sewer line in a village in the Turkish Mardin Province near the Syrian-Turkish unearthed the treasure made famous by the story of ''Ali Baba and the Forty thieves''. The reports also indicated that the last month excavations at Surekli village unearthed 400 gold coins that are being kept at the province's museum. Researches believe that the coins date back to the Seljuks and Sassanids era, affirming that the currencies are the treasure compiled by those called the Forty Thieves. "Many things verify that the treasure belongs to the heroes of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, mainly that the nearest village to Surekli is called "Celharemi" which means the forty thieves," Director of Mardin Province Museum Nihat Erdogan said. He added that Mardin was a route for travels and caravans for decades, which indicates that the thieves inhabited Celharemi and hid what they stole from the passing caravans in the cave. Manal Ismael/H.Sabbagh