#SiyuFort on Pate Island is part of the Swahili coast, an African network of settlements shaped by trade and cultural exchange. Built by local communities to resist Omani expansion, it reflects indigenous architecture, autonomy, and resistance along the coast.
#SiyuFort #SwahiliCoast#Museumsofkenya
Time for #HeritageFromAbove
Where are we? Do you know
One of the last remaining examples of primary high forests in Nigeria. Attests to the once common practice of constructing sacred groves outside all settlements.
Can you figure out where we are? #Heritagefromabove #Africanarchaeology #Quiz
The answer is: Manyikeni, a 2nd-millennium AD Zimbabwe Tradition site in Mozambique, lies 52 km west of Vilanculos. A stone enclosure and settlement linked to Great Zimbabwe, it reflects coastal trade ties. Finds like beads, gold, shells, and rare imports show wide contacts and social hierarchy.
Join us for #AfricanWorldHeritageDay2026! 🎉
On May 7, enjoy a hybrid event with flash talks and a guest lecture by Dr. Siyakha Mguni.
Register now to secure your spot: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/maeasam-di...
#MAEASaMAnnualLecture #Africanarchaeology #AfricanHeritage
This is how heritage becomes data. The result is not just a map, but a dataset that can be queried, compared, shared, and preserved for future research and conservation planning. #Encodingheritage #RemotesensingInaction #GIS #LiDAR #Africanarchaeology #Digitalarchaeology
The DEM is exported with LAS files and analysed in QGIS, where terrain derivatives such as hill shade and singleband pseudocolor are combined to enhance subtle surface variations. These visualisations reveal archaeological features invisible in satellite imagery.
What does it take to transform a forgotten landscape into structured archaeological data?
At the German Fort site in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Taraba State, the process begins with LiDAR sensor data, capturing millions of elevation points across a heavily vegetated terrain.
It’s Friday… time for #HeritageFromAbove 👀
Do you know where we are today?
Hint: The site is a tradition regional centre of the second millennium AD.
Can you guess where we are? drop your answer in the comments below and as usual Good luck! #Heritagefromabove #Africanheritage #Quiz
The Answer is Engaruka
Engaruka is an abandoned Iron Age archaeological site in northern Tanzania known for the sophisticated irrigation and cultivation system built by a farming community of several thousand people from around the 15th century.
Maputo Fortress, built by the Portuguese in the 18th century, began as a trading post in Catembe before moving to Maputo Bay. It faced repeated looting due to European rivalries over trade and control. Today, it serves as a military museum and hosts cultural events. #Mozambique #AfricanArchaeology
The answer is: We were at Yeha Temple
A remarkable pre-Aksumite temple still standing today
It’s Friday… time for #HeritageFromAbove 👀
Do you know where we are today?
The site known for its sophisticated irrigation and cultivation system that built by a farming community
Can you guess where we are? #Heritagefromabove #Africanheritage #satelliteimegary #Googleearth #Quiz
Moving Day with MAHSA & MAEASaM - Cambridge
Big move for MAHSA & MAEASaM! We’ve settled into our new office in the McDonald Institute, bringing our teams closer as we continue mapping and protecting archaeological heritage.
New space, fresh energy, and the same commitment to uncovering the past.
A big thank you to our wonderful visitors and team members. And an even bigger thanks to the Department of Archaeology and Lydia Clough for organising such a great day ✨
📸 Department of Archaeology
#CambridgeFestival #Cambridge #Archaeology #Outreach #Heritage #SouthAsia #Africa
MAEASaM had kids assembling a giant jigsaw of Africa and writing their names in an ancient alphabet. And the MAHSA team set up an interactive sandbox projecting contours and wildlife, creating a living map before your eyes!
We brought mapping to the masses last weekend at the fantastic Cambridge Festival Family Weekend. Over 1,000 visitors joined us at the University Centre where our project teams joined the department to share interactive archaeological experiences with families.
MAEASaM researchers-BIEA, Cindy Waweru and Keith Murangiri digitised and georeferenced historical maps using QGIS, converting Arc 1960 to WGS84. This enables alignment with modern data, supporting landscape analysis, site relocation, and heritage monitoring.
🔗 Learn more: maeasam.org/georeferenci...
The answer is: This historic baobab tree at Kasane Police Station in Botswana once served as a prison in the Chobe region. Before modern jails, its natural cavities were used to hold detainees, playing a key role in early local justice systems.
It’s Friday… time for #HeritageFromAbove
Do you know where we are today?
This massive stone structure has stood for over 2,500 years… long before many of the region’s better-known sites
Its precise geometry is still clearly visible from above.
Can you guess where we are?#Satelliteimagery #Quiz
Dr Khady Niang (Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar) will be giving the fourth Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Lecture.
'Regional trajectories in the West African Stone Age: perspectives from Sahelian and Forest landscapes'
📅 Tuesday 5 May
⏰ 17:00-18:00
bit.ly/JWO2026
@maeasamproject.bsky.social
#GroundingHeritage takes us to Ethiopia’s mountains. The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and fortified sites like Fasil Ghebbi reflect how defence, faith, and landscape intertwine in resilient heritage systems. #DefenceSystems #AfricanArchaeology #Ethiopia
It's Friday...time for #HeritageFromAbove
Do you know where we are today?
Remember to answer in the comments and as always good luck!!
📸 Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism. #HeritageFromAbove #Googleearth #BotswanaHeritage #Satelliteimagery #Quiz
The answer is: Symbole majeur du patrimoine de Saint-Louis, la Gouvernance fut le cœur administratif de l’Afrique Occidentale Française (AOF) jusqu’en 1902. Cet édifice historique illustre l’évolution de l’architecture coloniale du XVIIᵉ au XIXᵉ siècle.
Digitising legacy records involves several steps: assessing record condition and volume; scanning at 300–400+ DPI with 48-bit colour and TIFF format; applying consistent file naming; performing quality checks; adding metadata during post-processing; and protecting data using the 3-2-1 backup rule.
It is Friday, which means it’s time for #HeritageFromAbove! Can you guess where are we?
Clue: Once nicknamed the “Palais Faidherbe”
Drop your answer in the comments below, and as usual, good luck! #Heritagefromabove #UNESCO #Satelliteimagery #Archaeology #Senegal #Africanheritage #Quiz
The answer is: Ziwa National Park in Manicaland, Zimbabwe, is known for vast terracing linked to the Nyanga culture, often called the “terrace builders.” Formerly the van Niekerk Ruins, the area also shows earlier farming-period occupation, including the Ziwa pottery tradition.
Across Africa, communities built defensive systems such as walls, moats, and watchtowers. In Senegal, the tata of Yang-Yang, a double fortified enclosure built c.1875, protected the Djolof heartland. Similar structures exist across Africa under different local names. #Defencesystems #Senegambia
It’s Friday, which means it’s time for #HeritageFromAbove! Can you guess the name of this site?
Clue: Here is a clue: this ruins were built by the terrace builders
Drop your answer in the comments below, and as usual, good luck! #Heritagefromabove #UNESCO #Quiz #Africanheritage #Archaeology
The answer is: Wassu in The Gambia! The Wassu megalithic circles, between the River Gambia and the River Senegal, form 11 stone circles in two rows with frontal stones. Excavations found a skeleton, copper bracelet and spearheads. Finds are at the Gambia National Museum in Banjul.
Today begins the same way it does for many of us, with an early morning coffee, It may look like an ordinary routine. But within those ordinary hours, something extraordinary is happening: documenting and protecting of Africa’s endangered archaeological sites. Can you Guess our Partner Country?
