Gereza - Kilwa Kisiwani

In December 2019 CyArk traveled to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kilwa Kisiwani off the coast of Tanzania. Working in collaboration with ICOMOS International and the Antiquities Division within the Department of Natural Resources and Tourism for the Republic of Tanzania the CyArk field team documented three structures at the site. The Great Mosque, Gerezani fort and Malindi mosque were documented using terrestrial LIDAR, terrestrial photogrammetry and aerial photogrammetry with drones. Both the Malindi mosque and Gerezani fort were selected for documentation due to their location on the coast and the rapid rate of erosion taking place at these sites. In advance of the field work in Kilwa Kisiwani a workshop was held in Dar es Salaam to share information about the project, summarize current research and study around climate change impacts on heritage around the world as well as the ways that digital documentation can be used to support conservation and adaptation efforts. Kilwa Kisiwani was once a massive Swahili port town. It was first established in the 8th Century and flourished between the 12th and 14th Centuries. At its prime, it was one of the largest coastal settlements in East Africa and was an important center within the Indian Ocean trade network. The site was inscribed into the World Heritage List (with Songo Mnara) in 1981 as an exceptional testimony to the expansion of the Swahili coastal culture, the spread of Islam in East Africa and the extraordinarily extensive and prosperous Indian Ocean trade from the medieval period up to the modern era. The property was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2004 due to extensive damage that was occurring to the monuments due to sea battering as well as the reuse of the coral stones within the local village. After extensive conservation work, that included managing the vegetation on site, the re-establishment of the mangroves, filling and strengthening sections of the beach, and the restoration of some sections of various monuments, the property was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013. External Project Link: \N Additional Info Link: \N