A Heritage Inventory for Documenting Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The heritage of the Middle East and North Africa is under growing threat from a variety of factors, including agricultural expansion, urban development, looting, and conflict. Recording and documenting this heritage is therefore a key priority to a id heritage practitioners tasked with protecting sites and evaluating their condition on the ground. The Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has developed a methodology for the identification, documentation, analysis, and monitoring of sites across the region to aid heritage professionals in these efforts. The project uses remote sensing techniques along with traditional archaeological research and prospection methods to collect data, which are stored and managed in a customdesigned database adapted from open-source Arches v.3 software, using CIDOC CRM standards and controlled vocabularies. In addition to these activities, the EAMENA project has initiated an international conference series and training workshops to s upport and establish partnerships with heritage professionals and institutions across the region.

The Role of Aerial Prospection for Monitoring and Preserving Cultural Heritage in Northeastern Africa

“…Regions in this area are characterised by vast expanses of arid and semi-arid landscapes and have undergone rapid transformations due to increasing regional development activities, including urban expansion, road construction, intensified agricultural practices, and socio-political conflicts. Moreover, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental processes such as natural erosion or alterations in coastlines accelerated by climate change [1][2][3][4]. Therefore, the preservation of heritage sites in these areas faces unparalleled challenges, leading to the rapid disappearance of cultural heritage in regions that remain poorly understood.…”

Documenting, Protecting and Managing Endangered Maritime Cultural Heritage in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region

“…In an attempt to quantify the impact of these processes on the heritage resource, the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project has documented an increasing level of threat acting upon the terrestrial archaeological resource across the region, ranging from conflict, development, agricultural activity and climate change (Bewley et al 2016 ; Sheldrick and Zerbini 2017 ; Rayne et al 2017 ). However, this Oxford University-centred project focusses primarily on terrestrial hinterlands.…”

The Silk Road Heritage Enhancement for Local Sustainable Tourism Development in Bukhara (Uzbekistan). Analysis and Diagnosis about the Current Situation

“…They have evolved into heritage information systems, incorporating advanced information and communication technologies to provide reliable and readily available information for the protection and valorization of built heritage (Costa, 2020). In the context of the Middle East and North Africa, heritage inventories are essential for documenting and monitoring endangered archaeology, aiding in the protection of sites and evaluation of their condition (Sheldrick and Zerbini, 2017). Furthermore, inventory plays a crucial role in identifying the core issues and challenges of heritage destinations.…”