“For 500 Years”: Massive Treasure Ship Buried for Over 500 Years Found in the Namib Desert
- A Portuguese ship called the Bom Jesus was discovered in 2008 in Namibia's Sperrgebiet zone after being buried in the desert for nearly 500 years
- The ship contained over 2,000 gold coins, ivory tusks, copper ingots and more, all preserved by the desert's dry climate
- Archaeologists say it's the oldest and most valuable shipwreck ever found off the Western coast of Sub-Saharan Africa
Source: UGC
Indian Defence Review, a website that shares news about defence, climate, archaeology, and global events, shared a story on 31 October 2025 about a remarkable discovery in Namibia. In 2008, diamond miners in Namibia’s restricted Sperrgebiet zone came across bits of wood and rusty metal while working in the sand. At first, it didn’t look like much, but it turned out to be one of the biggest archaeological surprises in African history.
The wreck they found was the Bom Jesus, a Portuguese ship that left Lisbon in March 1533 on its way to India. Somewhere along the way, it drifted off course and hit the harsh Skeleton Coast, a place known for fog, rough waves, and dangerous sandbars. Over the centuries, shifting sand and the desert’s dry climate buried and preserved the ship almost perfectly.
South African archaeologist Dr Dieter Noli led the excavation, and what his team uncovered was more than 2,000 gold coins, around two tonnes of elephant tusks, nearly 17 tonnes of copper ingots, weapons, and even old navigational tools. The desert acted like a natural tomb, keeping things intact in a way that almost never happens with coastal shipwrecks.
Many of the treasures were linked to the Fugger family, a wealthy German banking dynasty that financed global trade in the 1500s. The ship basically became a time capsule showing how Portugal, West Africa, and India were connected through early trade routes.
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As shared in the report by Indian Defence Review, Namibia legally owns the wreck under UNESCO rules, and Portugal chose not to claim anything. Most of the artefacts are still stored in controlled environments while Namibia plans a maritime museum in Oranjemund to one day showcase this incredible find.
Source: UGC
Where is the Bom Jesus shipwreck?
According to Wikipedia, the Bom Jesus was a Portuguese trading ship from the early 1500s, back when Portugal was exploring and trading across the world. These ships were built big and tough so they could travel long distances to places like India, China, and Japan. They carried all kinds of valuable goods, including gold, copper, spices, ivory, weapons and silks.
People believe the Bom Jesus sank during a storm off the Namibian coast. The wind likely pushed it too close to shore, it hit a rock, and went down. The captain’s coin chest was found at the bottom of the sea, probably because it slipped out when the hull broke open.
No human remains were discovered, which suggests most of the crew either escaped or were lost at sea. The whole find was incredibly well preserved because the wreck lay inside a secure De Beers mining area, so nothing was disturbed by scavengers or looters.
3 More treasure and historical stories
- Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town gent who shared the story of SA's most famous bank robbery from 1977.
- Online sleuths zoomed in on alleged jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris after thieves used power tools to break in.
- SA mining giant AngloGold Ashanti returned over 130 looted gold and bronze artefacts to Ghana's Asante king.
Source: Briefly News
