SEARCH FOR LIBRARY OF IVAN THE TERRIBLE
The legend is that the tsar, who had thousands of his political
enemies slaughtered, inherited the library from Sophia
Paleolog, the niece of the last emperor of Constantinople. Ivan
is said to have kept the manuscripts - believed also to include
thousands of documents dating back to ancient Greece and Rome -
in three vast subterranean vaults.
With the help of the latest computer technology, experts hope to
narrow down the number of potential hiding places for the
treasure. They have even ordered a detailed psychological
profile of the tsar to help them understand what he might have
done with his books. People claiming to possess extra-sensory
powers have also been called in to help. As Luzhkov prepares
Moscow for the celebration of its 850th anniversary, however, he
is putting intense pressure on his scientists to come up with
new leads in the mystery. (Excerpts from an article in The
Sunday Times, by Mark Franchetti, July 6, 1997)
Robbin Murphy