Western Sahara Project: Environmental and Cultural Change in Arid Northwest Africa

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The Western Sahara Project is an interdisciplinary research project that aims to improve our understanding of past environmental, social and cultural change in northwest Africa. The main focus of the research is on human-environment interaction over the past 10,000 years (the Holocene period), with an emphasis on the transition from humid to arid conditions in the Middle to Late Holocene. The Project is led by the University of East Anglia, and involves specialists in a wide range of subjects from a number of institutions.  Fieldwork is conducted in the eastern and southern areas of the disputed, non self-governing territory of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara). These areas are under the control of the Polisario independence movement, the remainder of the territory being occupied by Morocco.  For more information on the Project, its findings, and its wider context, navigate this site using the links on the left. The Project's findings are described in Project publications and field reports. For reports and further details of the Project's work, see Field Seasons. Anyone can VOLUNTEER to take part in the Project. No experience of archaeology or scientific fieldwork is required. The dates of the next field season are still to be confirmed, but are likely to fall in the autumn 2012 (October-November) period. We are currently working on a book that will detail the work and findings of the project to date.

Western Sahara: Click map for larger view Western Sahara: location map

Page updated 11 December 2009