“The reconstruction of the mausoleums in Timbuktu is a fine example of the successful implementation of the decisions of the World Heritage Committee. Since the site was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2012, the World Heritage Committee has been working on this case,” said Maria Böhmer, Chair of the World Heritage Committee at the event. “We are deeply impressed by what has been achieved regarding the safeguarding of this incomparable World Heritage property. At a time when heritage is coming under attack by armed groups, the reconstruction of the mausoleums of Timbuktu gives us grounds for optimism.”
“Timbuktu is the symbol of a country that is recovering and regaining its self-confidence. It is the best answer we can give to violent extremists and a remarkable success story for the international community,” declared UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán.
Mali’s Minister of Culture, Handicraft and Tourism Ramatoulaye Diallo N'Diaye praised the work of the masons of Timbuktu and also spoke to the plight of heritage in conflict areas. “The heritage community has experienced and is still experiencing great difficulties. The nature of certain ideological wars has turned World Heritage and the vestiges of the past into choice targets to shock public opinion and take their would-be armed combat on to the media,” he said.
During the event, Ms Böhmer presented a UNESCO medal on behalf of the Organization’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, to Alassane Hasseye, head of the guild of Timbuktu masons, custodians of unique traditional know-how in the maintenance of earthen architecture. It was presented to him in recognition of work carried out by his guild.
The mausoleums of Timbuktu have long been places of pilgrimage for the people of Mali and neighbouring countries. They were widely believed to protect the city from danger. The oldest of these edifices were built in the 13th century. Sixteen of them are inscribed on the World Heritage List and 14 were destroyed in 2012, representing a tragic loss for local communities. Due to this, the government of Mali in 2013 turned to outside partners, including UNESCO, for assistance.
Near the border with Botswana in the Shashi-Limpopo region lies Mapela, which is now an excavation site. The ruins of what is believed to have been a flourishing urban community for an astoundingly long period of time were first examined in the early 1960s. As a result of political developments in the country, which at that time was known as Rhodesia, the site was later abandoned and forgotten by the archaeologists.A section of Mapela Hill from the north [Credit: PLoS ONE]
Until June 2013, that is. Then, new excavations started under the leadership of Dr Chirikure from the University of Cape Town. Chirikure and his team discovered a large area with massive stone walls, huge piles of fossilised animal excrement, pottery, spinning wheels and thousands of glass beads that testify to thriving trade with other countries, probably India and China. Carbon dating indicates that Mapela was as a flourishing community that existed continuously from the early 8th century until well into the 18th.
'Mapela lies virtually untouched in a rather inaccessible area, and is unique in several respects,' says Per Ditlef Fredriksen, associate professor of archaeology at the University of Oslo. Since June 2014 he has been Dr Chirikure's collaboration partner and head of the research project that will dig deeper into the ecological history of Mapela to find out more about how people and the environment mutually affected each other in the Shashi-Limpopo region.
Mapela is unique, but also one of many
Ecological history studies the complex interplay between people and the environment through the centuries.
The excavation of Mapela is a collaborative project between the universities of Cape Town and Oslo, with funding from the research councils in both countries [Credit: Per Ditlef Fredriksen]
'In other words, the question is not only how people have adapted to climate change; it's also a fact that urban societies generate climate change,' Fredriksen points out.
The forgotten stonewalled site at Mapela Hill will be used as a case study in the project, but this is only one of a number of urban, historical communities that have been discovered in the Shashi-Limpopo region. The more famous ruined cities of Khami and Great Zimbabwe, both on UNESCO's World Heritage List, are also located in this part of Southern Africa.
'We are undertaking excavations in several locations in the area to obtain a better understanding of the development of all these world heritage sites, since the relationship between them remains unclarified.'
More concerned with the common folk
Until now, researchers have been mostly concerned with the elite and the elite culture that has been uncovered in places such as Great Zimbabwe and other well-known historical sites in the region. The common folk, on the other hand, were not deemed to be of equal interest ‒ until now.
A K2 sherd surface collected from the lower summit of Mapela hilltop [Credit: PLoS ONE]
'We wish to learn more about the relationship between the common population and the elite. Part of Mapela's uniqueness is that this site shows traces of all the three elite cultures in the area. The material culture testifies to this fact,' Fredriksen explains.
'Especially the jewellery, but even the fantastically constructed stone walls are extremely rich in symbols. Our findings in Mapela include traces of the stone walls of Khami.'
Using climate data from the start
'Climate and the environment have previously been topics raised in the debate over the urbanisation of Southern Africa. However, this new interdisciplinary project proceeds several steps further in the direction of natural science,' Fredriksen says.
The location of Mapela in relation to other important sites in the region around present-day Zimbabwe [Credit: PLoS ONE]
'We include climate data at an early stage when establishing research questions. Our objective is to obtain a deeper insight into the associations between climate, environment and socioeconomic and political strategies.'
Today, Mapela is located in an underdeveloped and marginal agricultural area, and researchers have assumed that this was an arid region earlier as well, and that Mapela was a regional centre of little importance. New findings, however, indicate the opposite.
A society against all odds
Mapela must have been larger than the known locality of Mapungubwe, where the elite is thought to have lived. Perhaps even the climate was quite different in earlier times.
Khami (shown here) is already on the World Heritage List. There is a lot to support the inclusion of Mapela, too [Credit: UNESCO]
'Was Mapela a community that existed against all odds?'
'That is an extremely interesting question. After all, Mapela continued to exist for centuries, while other communities, such as Mapungubwe, perished. Why? This is one of the questions we will attempt to answer.'
'Could this project provide new knowledge about the ways in which societies have adapted to climate change?'
'It's very complex, but hopefully we will be able to contribute to this,' says Fredriksen. He refers to the achievements of the University of Cape Town in the field of climate research.
'We are in this project to learn from the South Africans, and we have a lot to learn from them,' he concludes.
For more information see: Zimbabwe Culture before Mapungubwe: New Evidence from Mapela Hill, South-Western Zimbabwe. PLoS ONE (2014)
Author: Mari Kildahl | Source: University of Oslo [May 30, 2015]
A team of American explorers on Thursday claimed to have discovered silver treasure from the infamous 17th-century Scottish pirate William Kidd in a shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar.A diver handles the suspected loot [Credit: Malagasy Presidency]
Marine archaeologist Barry Clifford told reporters he had found a 50-kilogramme (110-pound) silver bar in the wreck of Kidd's ship the "Adventure Gallery", close to the small island of Sainte Marie.
But UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural body, immediately criticised Clifford's methods and said he may have damaged a precious archeological site in his hunt for treasure.
Captain Kidd, who was born in Scotland in about 1645, was first employed by British authorities to hunt pirates, before he himself turned into a ruthless criminal of the high seas.
After looting a ship laden with valuable cargo in 1698, he was caught, imprisoned and questioned by the British parliament before being executed in Wapping, close to the River Thames, in 1701.
The fate of much of his booty, however, has remained a mystery, sparking intrigue and excitement for generations of treasure-hunters.
Clifford, who was filmed by a documentary crew lifting the silver ingot off the sea bed, handed it over to Madagascan President Hery Rajaonarimampianina on Sainte Marie on Thursday.
Underwater explorer Barry Clifford, right, presents a silver bar he believes is part of the treasure of the pirate Captain Kidd, to the president of Madagascar, Hery Rajaonarimampianina, left, on Sainte Marie Island, Madagascar [Credit: AP Photo/Martin Vogl]
Soldiers guarded the apparent treasure at the ceremony, which was attended by the US and British ambassadors.
"We discovered 13 ships in the bay," Clifford said. "We've been working on two of them over the last 10 weeks. One of them is the 'Fire Dragon', the other is Captain Kidd's ship, the 'Adventure Galley'."
October Films, the British production team behind the project, struck a more cautious note, saying that the silver ingot was of the correct date and appeared similar to other ingots linked to Kidd.
"Further analysis of the ingot will be required to confirm these preliminary findings," the company added.
Archaeologist John de Bry, who attended the ceremony, said the shipwreck and silver bar were "irrefutable proof that this is indeed the treasure of the 'Adventure Gallery'."
The ship, which was armed with 34 big guns, is thought to have been scuttled by Kidd during an expedition to the Indian Ocean.
Treasure hunt criticised
"This is a fantastic find that shows the hidden story of Madagascar," Robert Yamate, US ambassador to Madagascar, said. "This is great for tourism... and it is just as important as historical preservation."
But UNESCO said it was "very worried" about Clifford's methods, and expressed concern that a professional archaeologist had not been permanently on site to oversee the search.
"It is basically a film team going and directly intervening at an archeological site -- that should not be the case," Ulrike Guerin, underwater specialist at UNESCO in Paris, told AFP.
"You should have a competent underwater archaeologist there. We do not say everything that has been done is bad. We will go and check, but there are certain doubts about the scientific handling of the intervention. It is not enough that you find the treasure if you destroy the whole archaeological site with it."
Guerin said that Madagascan authorities last week asked UNESCO to send a team to take control of the site.
Soldiers watched over the silver at a ceremony attended by the president and diplomats [Credit: BBC]
UN experts are due to arrive by the end of next month.
UNESCO has clashed with Clifford before when he announced last year he believed he had identified the wreck of Columbus's flagship that sank in 1492 off the northern coast of Haiti.
The claim sparked global publicity but was soon disproved by UNESCO, which determined it was a ship from a later period.
Clifford is best known as the discoverer and excavator of the world's first fully verified pirate shipwreck, the Whydah, in 1984.
The small, steep pyramids rising up from the desert hills of northern Sudan resemble those in neighboring Egypt, but unlike the famed pyramids of Giza, the Sudanese site is largely deserted.Members of the Sudanese security forces guard the historic Meroe pyramids in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The pyramids at Meroe are deserted despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site like those at Giza in Egypt [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]Tour guides wait for tourists to offer them camel rides at the historic Meroe pyramids in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The pyramids at Meroe are deserted despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site like those at Giza in Egypt [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]
The pyramids at Meroe, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, are rarely visited despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site like those in Egypt. Sanctions against the government of longtime President Omar al-Bashir over Sudan's long-running internal conflicts limit its access to foreign aid and donations, while also hampering tourism.
A general view of the historic Meroe pyramids site, in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The steep, small pyramids rise over the desert hills, a stunning reminder of the ancient Nubian kingdom that once ruled Egypt and ones not nearly as often visited those of its neighbor [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]A view of the historic Meroe pyramids in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The site once served as the principle residence of the rulers of the Kush kingdom, known as the Black Pharaohs. Their pyramids, ranging from 6-meters to 30-meters tall, are some 4,600 years old [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]
The site, known as the Island of Meroe because an ancient, long-dried river ran around it, once served as the principle residence of the rulers of the Kush kingdom, known as the Black Pharaohs. Their pyramids, ranging from 6 meters (20 feet) to 30 meters (100 feet) tall, were built between 720 and 300 B.C. The entrances usually face east to greet the rising sun.
Hieroglyphics are pictured inside a room at the historic Meroe pyramids, a sign of the influence of ancient Egyptian civilization on the Sudanese Meroite kingdom, in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The pyramids bear decorative elements from the cultures of Pharaonic Egypt, Greece and Rome, according to UNESCO, making them priceless relics [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]Local tourists visit the Meroe pyramids in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan’s tourism industry has been devastated by a series of economic sanctions imposed over the country’s civil war and the conflict in Darfur [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]
The pyramids bear decorative elements inspired by Pharaonic Egypt, Greece and Rome, according to UNESCO, making them priceless relics. However, overeager archaeologists in the 19th century tore off the golden tips of some pyramids and reduced some to rubble, said Abdel-Rahman Omar, the head of the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum.
Sudanese security guards walk next to one of the Meroe pyramids, in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The site once served as the principle residence of the rulers of the Kush kingdom, known as the Black Pharaohs. Their pyramids, ranging from 6-meters to 30-meters tall, are some 4,600 years old [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]Names of visitors are seen carved into the stones of one of the Meroe pyramids, in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The pyramids at Meroe are deserted despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site like those at Giza in Egypt [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]
On a recent day, a few tourists and white camels roamed the site, watched by a handful of security guards. Sudan's tourism industry has been devastated by economic sanctions imposed over the conflicts in Darfur and other regions. Al-Bashir's government, which came to power following a bloodless Islamist coup in 1989, has struggled to care for its antiquities.
A view of the historic Meroe pyramids in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The steep, small pyramids rise over the desert hills, a stunning reminder of the ancient Nubian kingdom that once ruled Egypt and ones not nearly as visited as those of its neighbor [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]A Sudanese tour guide and a member of the security forces observes a temple at the Meroe pyramids site, in al-Bagrawiya, 200 kilometers north of Khartoum, Sudan. The pyramids at Meroe are deserted despite being a UNESCO World Heritage site like those at Giza in Egypt [Credit: AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy]
Qatar has pledged $135 million to renovate and support Sudan's antiquities in the last few years. But Omar said Sudan still receives just 15,000 tourists per year.
Author: Maggie Michael | Source: The Associated Press [April 26, 2015]
