Cultural heritage and conflict

The threatened archaeology of Western Sahara

Bibliographic Data

ID3979340
AuthorsNicholas Brooks (0000-0002-5073-9386, corresponding author), Nick Brooks
Year2005
Volume10
Issue3-4
Pages413-439
Publication date2005-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of North African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-9387 • E-ISSN: 1743-9345
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13629380500336797
OpenAlexW2041539276
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited11

Little archaeological research has been conducted in Western Sahara as a result of the territorial conflict between Morocco, which occupies some 80 per cent of the territory, and the Frente Polisario independence movement, which administers the remainder of the territory from the Saharawi refugee camps in southwestern Algeria. While some archaeological studies have been undertaken recently, there has been no recent excavation, or dating of archaeological materials and palaeoenvironmental indicators, and little detailed publication of the archaeology in international journals. This is largely due to problems of access and logistical difficulties resulting from the ongoing political conflict and the security situation in neighbouring Algeria. This article is based on observations made during two seasons of fieldwork in 2002 and 2005 in the Polisario-administered ‘Free Zone’. It provides a brief overview of the archaeology of the Free Zone, addresses threats to archaeological sites within the context of the military and political conflict between the Polisario and Morocco, and discusses the wider political relevance of archaeology in Western Sahara

Archaeology · Conflict archaeology · Context (archaeology · Excavation · Geography · Independence (probability theory · Political science · Politics · Prehistoric archaeology · African Studies and Geopolitics · Animal Diversity and Health Studies · History · Law · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology