EAMENA

Israel moves Yellow Line deeper into Gaza, satellite images show Israel placed and later moved control markers in three areas, with some placed deeper inside Gaza than maps suggested.

More recent reporting on this situation by the BBC and Associated Press can be found at:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

apnews.com/article/gaza...

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
@unesco.org

A satellite image of the Shejaiya suburb of Gaza City taken on 2 December showing partial damage of the area from earlier in the conflict (Source: Planet).

A satellite image of the Shejaiya suburb of Gaza City taken on 13 December showing widespread demolition that had taken place since 2 December (Source: Planet).

Remote-sensing assessment of Gaza's heritage shows the devastating impact of systematic demolition of #Gaza City's eastern Shejaiya area as recently as December, incl. west of the Yellow Line. This area has the highest density of documented historic structures outside the centre of Gaza City.

A 1941 aerial photograph of the Persian Garden site.

A schematic drawing of the visible features of the Persian Garden site.

📣 📣 Our new paper on the discovery of a 'lost' Persian Garden in #Tabriz #Iran using aerial photographs taken during the Second World War has just been published #OpenAccess in @antiquity.ac.uk. Read it here👇🏻
doi.org/10.15184/aqy...

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
@arcdurham.bsky.social

EAMENA MLACD - YouTube The EAMENA machine learning automated change detection (EAMENA MLACD) is a tool developed by EAMENA researchers to rapidly monitor the changes and threats at...

📣📣We are delighted to share a new series of training videos on #EAMENA’s Machine Learning Automated Change Detection (MLACD) heritage monitoring tool. 💫

You can watch the full series on the EAMENA YouTube channel here👇🏻

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

@archanchistleic.bsky.social

Our Bijan Rouhani is delivering an online lecture for @cbrl.bsky.social this Wednesday 19th November. Register here: 👇🏻👇🏻🔗https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5CFHlFXNTDuMCxgZnVSU5A#/registration

Digital Heritage Forum 2025, hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Digital Heritage Forum 2025, hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Panel of Dr Bijan Rouhani (Oxford University), Dr Paola Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco (University of Essex), Bernadette Devilat (University of Nottingham), Anwar Sabik (ICCROM Sharjah), Sophie Abraham (ALIPH), and Michelle Mumbi Gathigi (Spatial Collective Limited).

📣Our Dr Bijan Rouhani took part in the Digital Heritage Forum, hosted by Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi on 3–5 November. Co-convening the technical session “Future of the Past: Risk Mapping, Communication & Community Resilience” with Dr Paola Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco. #DCTAbuDhabi

We have a new paper out reporting on the remote-sensing survey of c.10k sites in the west Nafud region of north Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan, including the identification of a damaged fortified complex and hinterland features south of Tabuk👉🏻
doi.org/10.3390/heri... @unioxarchaeology.bsky.social

Want to study #archaeology at graduate level in #Oxford?

Join our tutors at 3pm Thurs 20 Nov on zoom for a cosy chat about our world-leading MSc Archaeology degree.

Meeting link: zoom.us/j/9184876042...

Our team @arcdurham.bsky.social in Erbil with colleagues from the General Directorate of Heritage & Museums, developing a national heritage database to support the protection & sustainable management of the KRI's rich cultural heritage -they also tested the Amal in Heritage app for site assessment.

'Reporting Heritage Destruction' just published by Endangered Cultural Heritage of the Global South (ECHGS), University of Oxford

📣'Reporting Heritage Destruction' just published by Endangered Cultural Heritage of the Global South (ECHGS) Hub. Exploring how cultural heritage destruction is reported - asking who reports, what is reported, how, and with what consequences.
#openaccess
www.archaeopress.com/.../missingP...

'Recommendations for a Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Policy in Jordan' Publication

General view of As Salt World Heritage Site. Photo by H. Abedalhaleem

The Cultural Hub Bayt Yaish - Petra National Trust, Amman, Jordan

Her Royal Highness Princess Dana Firas, President of PNT, at launch of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change Policy Publication

Excited to launch our draft policy on Cultural Heritage & Climate Change in Jordan with Petra National Trust. It sets regional standard for sustainability & draws on studies from WH Sites: Petra, Jericho, As-Salt, & Baptism Site.
English:
zenodo.org/records/1725...
Arabic:
zenodo.org/records/1730...

Our team are just back from fieldwork in SE #Jordan! They were east of Bayir looking at a series of #Roman camps we first identified on satellite imagery in 2022. Look out for news of this survey in our future posts.

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
@cbrl.bsky.social
@robertbewley.bsky.social

📣📣 This Saturday 6th September EAMENA features on Bettany Hughes show on Channel 4 about the Nabataeans, which features flights with our Bob Bewley over the Roman camps we identified in SE Jordan.
www.channel4.com/programmes/b...
For our original research paper:👇🏻
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

📣📣 Our Bill Finlayson & fellow archaeologists help to uncover the mystery of the hundreds of 'desert kites' stretching across the Arabian desert. Find out who built these megastructures, the purpose they served & the ingenious discovery that was unearthed...👇🏻
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

📣📣 We are holding an online event on Digital Heritage & the Global South on 15 July looking AI & the value & challenges it presents. Registration is FREE - please follow 🔗👉🏻
events.teams.microsoft.com/event/92c52c...

More info found👇🏻
www.arch.ox.ac.uk/echgs-hub-0#...

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social

Reporting Heritage Destruction

ICAANE Conference in Lyon, France

ICAANE Conference

Members of our team will be at the #ICAANE conference in #Lyon #France this week. Their papers will cover: the weaponisation of #heritage; new research in #Iraq; a satellite survey of the #Syrian desert; and excavations in the north #Jordan Valley. Find more info here 👇🏻https://14icaane.inviteo.fr/

Scroll through for our latest update on #heritage places and link to our #EAMENA #Database!! 👇🏻👇🏻
database.eamena.org

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social
@arcdurham.bsky.social
@archanchistleic.bsky.social

Our Australian followers can currently watch a documentary on the Nabataeans (hopefully broadcasting in the UK soon) that includes flights over the Roman camps we identified in SE #Jordan back in 2023: www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-...
For our original research paper: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

A new collection of papers in honour of Prof David Kennedy includes a chapter by our Michael Fradley on the pioneering aerial mapping of eastern #Jordan in 1931 which included the recording of archaeological features.

Find it: ➡ sydneyuniversitypress.com/products/189...

The Pasha Palace seen in 2022 and again on 5 January 2024. Getty Images

📣 Our work with Palestinian colleagues in monitoring heritage damage in #Gaza is mentioned as part of an article out in @theguardian.com:👇🏻
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social @arcdurham.bsky.social @archanchistleic.bsky.social

A satellite image taken on 11 November 2023 showing damage to the historic core of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip (Source: Airbus via Google Earth)

📣 A new article in 'The Art Newspaper' covers our work supporting Palestinian colleagues documenting conflict damage to heritage sites across the Gaza Strip: 👇🏻
www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/03/10/g...

📣 Our Mohamed Kenawi has written a blog about EAMENA's 10 years documenting #endangered archaeology in the MENA region. There are now around 370,000 recorded heritage places in the EAMENA database. #CulturalHeritage #protectheritage
Read all about it here👇🏻
peoplingthepast.com/2025/02/21/b...

Unesco World Heritage Sites

📣 Read our Bill Finlayson & Bijan Rouhani's recent article which reassesses heritage values in the context of conflicts and diverse societies & calls for equitable preservation practices that respect diverse identities and memories associated with heritage sites.
repositori.udl.cat/server/api/c...

Enroll now! #Farsi & #French 👇🏻
FARSI: tinyurl.com/4ezwemfa
FRENCH: tinyurl.com/ybumt2au

#culturalheritage #ProtectHeritage #Archaeology #RemoteSensing #MENA

@unioxarchaeology.bsky.social @arcdurham.bsky.social @archanchistleic.bsky.social

📣 Learn how to protect endangered archaeology with remote sensing! Join our free online course & master satellite imagery techniques to identify & safeguard heritage sites. Enroll now!
Available in 4 languages: 👇🏻
#English & #Arabic
ENGLISH: tinyurl.com/2s4zyycp
ARABIC: tinyurl.com/4ybf9p5e

An example of a heritage site at Seimareh Dam. Top June 2008, bottom November 2011. Images © Google Earth.

Our @bijanrouhani.bsky.social & his late colleague Farad Nazari look at how dam construction has damaged #Iran's archaeological sites & suggest cultural heritage policies that could lead to more sustainable development that preserve Iran’s rich cultural heritage.
www.apicelibri.it/HandlerObjec...

Understanding Heritage Loss and Landscape Change in the Jordan Valley through Legacy Aerial Photography

📣 Our @mfradley.bsky.social is researching a large collection of photos taken by the @royalairforce.bsky.social on the #Palestine Front in 1918, held at the Australian War Memorial, to understand heritage loss & landscape change in the Jordan Valley. Read about it here👇🏻:
eamena.org/article/unde...

Hatra in Iraq aerial photo c 1930.

Read our @mfradley.bsky.social recent article in the Commonwealth Heritage Forum newsletter which looks at the potential of the UK's global collection of aerial photography for understanding how landscapes have changed. Scroll down to the 3rd article: www.commonwealthheritage.org/december-new...

EAMENA Volunteering – Assessing the Condition of Samarra, an Endangered World Heritage Site in Iraq

📣 Student volunteers from @arcdurham.bsky.social are using satellite imagery & historic aerial photography to assess the condition of Samarra, an #endangered World Heritage Site in #Iraq and sharing results with collaborators in SBAH to help future protection initiatives. Read all about it here👇🏻

Some of the original team at EAMENA in 2015.

EAMENA Team conducting training to MENA heritage professionals in Amman in December 2022.

EAMENA Team conducting training to MENA heritage professionals in Tunis in November 2019.

MENA heritage professionals celebrating completion of training in Tunis 2019.

It's our 10 year anniversary! We thank Bob Bewley, David Kennedy & Andrew Wilson our co-founders, @ox.ac.uk for supporting us, Arcadia & the British Council for backing us, all our colleagues past & present who joined us, and our partners in the MENA region whom we have worked & collaborated with!