"Millennia ago a piece of the sky fell toward East Africa, streaking overhead, born of an ancient collision of asteroids. The meteorite landed, probably with more of a thud than a boom, in a river valley where camels now forage near the village of El Ali in Somalia. Known locally as Shiid-birood (the iron rock), the El Ali meteorite is 13.6 metric tons of iron and nickel."
"For generations it rested in the ground some 24 kilometers (15 miles) outside the village, becoming a landmark that was featured in folklore, lullabies and poems. According to one story, the region had been a green paradise until its inhabitants stopped believing in Waaq, the local god, who punished them with volcanic stones, leaving behind the El Ali meteorite as a reminder of their folly. Over the centuries people hammered the brown rock from the heavens with stones, banging off flakes of cold iron,"
"Now, though, the El Ali meteorite is gone. Shaky cell-phone videos suggest the rock is being stored in China, where sellers hope to hock it for millions, either whole or in pieces. How did it get there? The journey of the ninth-largest meteorite in the world involves lies, smuggling and possibly death. Mystery surrounds its departure from its landing site, a lawless region of Somalia, one of the poorest and most contested places on the planet."
The El Ali meteorite, known locally as Shiid-birood, is a 13.6-metric-ton iron-nickel boulder that landed near El Ali in Somalia millennia ago after an ancient asteroid collision. For generations it rested about 24 kilometers from the village and became a cultural landmark featured in folklore, lullabies and poems; people hammered flakes of iron from it and children played on it. Recent reports and shaky cell-phone videos indicate the meteorite has been removed and is likely being stored in China for sale, possibly whole or in pieces. The removal appears to involve lies, smuggling and possibly death, and Somali officials have requested its recognition as patrimony and return.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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