MAEASaM

The answer is: Fortress of São Sebastião in Mozambique, the oldest intact fort in sub-Saharan Africa, begun in 1558 and finished after 62 years. It survived Dutch, British and Omani attacks. Though unkempt and sparsely explained, its scale, atmosphere and battlement views are striking.

**Image 1 (front view):** Stone façade of Lord Egerton Castle in Nakuru, Kenya, showing its large windows, sloping dark roof, and lush green lawn with palm trees in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.

**Image 2 (aerial view):** Aerial view of Lord Egerton Castle in Nakuru, Kenya, revealing its 52-room stone structure, red-brown tiled roofs, surrounding gardens with neatly trimmed hedges, and wide grassy grounds.

In Nakuru, Kenya, heartbreak built a fortress. Lord Egerton Castle, 52 rooms of marble and oak, finished in 1954 but never lived in by the princess it was built for. A national monument since 1996, open to all since 2005, just 14 km from Nakuru. #Kenyaheritage #LordEgertonCastle

It is Friday, another new destination!
Think you can guess where we’re heading this week?
Hint: Regarded as the oldest complete fort in sub-Saharan Africa
Drop your answers in the comments, and Good luck! #Heritagefromabove
Credit: Erik Cleves Kristensen
Licence: [Creative Commons Attribution 2.0]

Want to learn more about Arches? Attend a workshop at #CAAUK2025 in Cambridge on Dec 9 at 11:30 GMT! The workshop will include a presentation on Arches Lingo by Phil Carlisle of Historic England, along with demos of two Arches implementations: @mahsa-project.bsky.social & @maeasamproject.bsky.social

The answer is: Konso Cultural Landscape in Ethiopia features stone-walled terraces and fortified settlements reflecting 400+ years of tradition. It showcases community cohesion, engineering skill, and rare wooden statues and stone steles honoring ancestors, leaders, and fading funerary customs.

Ally Mohamed Ally

Ally Mohamed Ally

Ally Mohamed Ally

The MAESaM team has arrived in beautiful Zanzibar! Grateful to Hon. Aboud Juma, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, for the warm welcome. We also had a productive meeting with him and Bibi Kei Abdalla, Acting Director of Antiquities and Museum. #collaborations #zanzibar

The southern African team members Photo credit: Reiner Van Der Merwe and Fionna Huggins.

We welcomed Omar Madime from Eduardo Mondlane University to the Southern African Hub at UP. He explored our resource models, Arches database, and remote sensing work, and shared valuable insights on Mozambique’s heritage system. Great to have him on board! #SouthernAfrica #Training #Mozambique

Another Friday, another mystery destination!
Think you can guess where we’re heading this week?
Watch the video closely — the clue is hidden inside!
Hint: The site characterised by extensive dry stone terraces
Drop your answers in the comments below and as always Good luck! #Heritagefromabove

An overview of the GUI with the GIS open showing a topographic base map, Zanzibar and Pemba isolated

Here is a closeup of Zanzibar with OSM data in the background

Here is a close up of Kidichi persian baths with satellite background

A look at one of the bespoke tools (location based search tool)

Celebrating GIS Day and the power of geospatial tech in protecting shared heritage. Next week, the MAEASaM Project hands over a GIS database prototype to Zanzibar’s Department of Museums—an exciting step for local heritage management and long-term preservation. #GISDay #MAEASaM #Zanzibar

The answer is: Le fort d’Estrées, à la Pointe Nord, reconstruit en 1856 par Pinet Laprade, fut d’abord une batterie militaire avant d’être transformé en prison civile, puis reconverti en 1989 en Musée historique, faisant de lui un édifice au parcours singulier.

El Kurru funerary temple - Credit: Geoff Emberling

Credit: Rebecca Bradshaw

Credit: Rebecca Bradshaw

Once a quiet desert, El Kurru was the royal burial ground of Kushite kings and queens whose power later reached Egypt, forming the 25th Dynasty. From here came rulers who revived traditions, restored temples, and shaped Nile Valley history — a story of identity, memory, and enduring legacy. #Sudan

New article from the MAEASaM Team!
The Perils of Endangerment explores threats to Africa’s archaeological heritage—including sites with no visible remains—and what this means for preservation and mapping.
Read free: doi.org/10.32028/978... #archaeology #openaccess #MAEASaMproject #Africanheritage

It is Friday, another #heritagefromabove quiz. Think you can guess where we’re heading this week? Drop your answers in the comments below and as always good luck!

#unesco #archaeology #áfrica #icomos

The Answer is: William Ponty School in Sébikotane, a top pre-independence institution, trained West Africa’s future leaders—teachers, executives. Known as “Pontins,” alumni included Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Modibo Keïta, Hubert Maga, and Léopold Sédar Senghor, later heads of state and ministers.

Img-1 : Plan d'un circuit de visite de l'île de Gorée, 1944. ©CARIOU, Pierre-André.

Img-2 : Extrait de plan du XVIIIe siècle montrant les villages de cases à proximité du Fort Saint-François © Crespin

Img-3 : Vue aérienne des fortifications du Castel © Olavarrieta

Le caractère stratégique de l’île de Gorée lui valut une vocation défensive. Les Néerlandais y construisirent deux forts, une batterie principale, des remparts modestes, une redoute, la « batterie de l’Ouest » et plusieurs petits bastions. #Africanheritage #Archaeology #AfricanArchaeology #Geography

Another Friday, another mystery destination!

Think you can guess where we’re heading this week?

Watch the video closely — the clue is hidden inside! Drop your answers in the comments below and as always Good luck! #heritagefromabove #googleearth #africanheritage #quiz

The answer is: Pujini Ruins (Magofu ya mji wa kale wa Pujini) is a medieval site near Pujini village in Chake Chake District, Pemba South. Once home to a fortified palace of Mkame Mdume, only wall ruins remain. It is one of Pemba’s National Historic Sites, along with Chambani and Ras Mkumbuu.

Nicola Sagna, 2025

Nicola Sagna, 2025

Nicola Sagna, 2025

Nicola Sagna, 2025

In collaboration with IFAN Ch. A. Diop, the Museum of African Civilizations has been presenting an exhibition dedicated to William Ponty's notebooks since October 16. These notebooks, meticulously handwritten by students between 1933 and 1949, address a wide variety of sociocultural themes. #Senegal

It’s Friday! It’s time for Heritage Above!
Do you know where we are?
Clue: Oral tradition connects this fortified palace on Pemba island to a Prince nicknamed Mkama Ndume.
Any idea? Share your answers in the comments! #NationalMuseumofTanzania #Heritagefromabove #Africanheritage

The answer is: On the slopes of Mathari, Nyeri, lies the Italian Memorial Church — built by Italian POWs (1942–45) to honour 676 fallen soldiers. A moving reminder of loss, craftsmanship, and reconciliation. 🇮🇹

#KenyaHeritage #KenyaHistory #ItalianMemorialChurch #RememberingWW2

© British Museum / Tara / David Coulson

© UNESCO / Paul Joynson-Hicks

© Tanzania Tourism

©UNESCO / Paul Joynson-Hicks

In Kondoa, Tanzania, over 150 rock art sites across 2,300 km² depict hunting, music, animals, and daily life, tracing over 2,000 years of change from hunter-gatherers to agro-pastoralists. Many shelters still hold ritual meaning for local communities. #Nationalmuseumoftanzania #Archaeology #Rockart

Another Friday, another quiz. Our destination today is at high altitude.

Hint: It is the final resting place of an Italian Duke.

Do you know the answer? please write it in the comments below. Good Luck! #Heritage #GeneralKnowledge #MuseumsofKenya #Quiz

@tness16.bsky.social Congratulations, your answer is correct, The Chapel of Hathor (formerly designated as the “Roman Kiosk”) merges Hellenistic/Roman and Egyptian architectural and decorative elements to create an autonomous Meroitic architectural creation.

Metal coin with a square hole in the middle. Photo: John Weinstein/The Field Museum.

600-year-old Yongle Tongbao coin found on Manda Island Minted in China under Emperor Yongle (1403–1425), made of copper + silver.
Proof of Chinese trade in Africa long before Europeans arrived.
Yongle built Beijing’s Forbidden City and sent Zheng He’s fleets to explore the seas.
#Archaeology #Kenya

It’s Friday! It’s time for Heritage from Above!
Do you know where we are?
Clue: This building is a part of a bigger World Heritage site that contains more famous and well preserved Temples. Share your answers in the comments below and as usual good luck! #Heritagefromabove #Africa #Quiz

The answer is: Thiékène, in central Senegal, is home to the remarkable Cekeen site, known for its funerary sand mounds called mbanaar. With over 10,316 mounds across 1,896 sites, Senegal hosts one of Africa’s largest concentrations. Cekeen’s tallest mound, Wago Fal, rises about 12 meters.

Gereza/Kilwa Fort on Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980. Once a hub for Arab, Swahili, Omani, and Portuguese trade and culture, it was used by Omani Arabs in the 18th century for contraband and the slave trade. #NationalMuseumofTanzania #Heritage #Unesco #Africa

It’s Friday! It’s time for Heritage Above!
Do you know where we are?
Clue: This mysterious site is distinguished by its spectacular sand-built funerary monuments, erected between 400 and 1500 AD.
Any idea? Share your answers in the comments! #Heritagefromabove #UNESCO #Quiz #Traditionalknowledge

The MAEASaM team is in Dakar, Senegal for the 9th AfriGEO Symposium!
Represented by Dr. Pamela Ochungo, Nicolas Sagna & Lamine Badji, we’re sharing how geospatial tools help protect Africa’s endangered archaeological sites & monuments.
#AfriGEO2025 #MAEASaM #Geospatial #Dakar #Senegal

Congratulations @Paul Montgomery your Answer is correct. Al Khandaq village, was a key Nubian town. A New Kingdom site with a temple of Amenhotep, later a Makurian fort and monastery. It thrived as a Nile port (17th–20th c.), linking west Sudan. Once a key district, it declined by mid-20th century.