Zamani Project


The Zamani Project is part of the African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes Database. Zamani is a research group at the University of Cape Town, which acquires, models, presents and manages spatial and other data from cultural heritage sites. The present focus of the Zamani project is Africa, with the principal objective of developing "The African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes Database". Zamani comes from the Swahili phrase "Hapo zamani za kale" which means "Once upon a time", and can be used to mean 'the past'. The word is derived from Arabic root for temporal vocabulary, 'Zaman,' and appears in several languages around the world.

History

The Zamani initiative was conceptualised in the Geomatics Division of the University of Cape Town by Professor Heinz Rüther in 2001 in collaboration with ITHAKA and Aluka as the "African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes Database" in 2004 with a number of sequential grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The project developed out of a long history of heritage documentation in the Geomatics division reaching from conventional mapping of archaeological sites in the early stages of the project to advanced digital modeling of complex sites in its present phase.

Motivation

The documentation project aims to capture spatial information to create a permanent record of important heritage sites for restoration and conservation purposes and as a record for future generations. The project seeks to provide material for education, research and site management and increase international awareness of African heritage on a not-for-profit basis.

Data

Spatial data of architectural structures and historical landscapes are acquired by means of laser scanning, conventional surveys, GPS surveys and photogrammetric imaging with calibrated cameras. Satellite images, aerial photography and full-dome panorama photography are also employed as are contextual photography and videos. The data are captured by the project team during field campaigns. The acquired data are processed to produce Geographic Information Systems, 3D computer models, maps, architectural sections and building plans and interactive panorama tours of the heritage sites. Sites are seen in the context of their physical environment and therefore landscapes surrounding sites are modelled in 3D using satellite and aerial imagery wherever possible.

Sites

The following is a list of sites which have been documented:
Algeria
  1. Djémila
  2. M'Zien
Cameroon
  1. Mandara Hills: DGB I & II
Ethiopia
  1. Lalibela: 13 rock-hewn churches
  2. Axum: Stele-field
  3. Gondar: Fasil Ghebbi
Ghana
  1. Elmina: Elmina Castle
  2. Besease/Kumasi: Ashanti Shrine
Jordan
  1. Petra: Siq
  2. Petra: Treasury
  3. Petra: Monastery
  4. Petra: Urn Tomb
  5. Petra: Tomb of the Roman Soldier
  6. Petra: Palace Tomb
  7. Petra: Corinthian Tomb
  8. Petra: Silk Tomb
  9. Petra: Theater
  10. Petra: Qasr al-Bint
  11. Petra: Great Temple
  12. Petra: Facade Tombs
  13. Petra: Temple of the Winged Lions
  14. Petra: Turkmeniyeh Tomb
  15. Petra: Soldier Tomb
  16. Petra: Garden Tomb
  17. Petra: Renaissance Tomb
  18. Petra: Triclinium
  19. Petra: Djinn Blocks
  20. Petra: Obelisk Tomb
  21. Petra: landscape of Wadi Musa and the landscape of Wadi Farasa
Kenya
  1. Lamu: Fortress, Swahili Building and historical street scene
  2. Shela: Shiathna-Asheri Mosque
  3. Gede: Palace, Mosque and buildings
  4. Namoratung'a: Stelae field
  5. Turkana Village: village huts
  6. Tot Village: village huts
Mali
  1. Djenne: Great Mosque
  2. Timbuktu: Friday Mosque
Mozambique
  1. Mozambique Island: Fortress and Chapel
Myanmar
  1. Bagan
Sri Lanka
  1. Medirigiriya Watadageya
  2. Polonnaruwa
South Africa
  1. Mapungubwe: Iron Age site of Mapungubwe Hill, plus rock art site
  2. Pretoria: Union Buildings
  3. Cape Town: Good Hope Castle
  4. Wonderwerk Cave: cave with early human occupation
  5. Cederberg: 6 rock art sites
  6. Saldhana: Stone age site
  7. Langebaan: Paleontological site
  8. Drakensberg: 2 rock art sites
Sudan
  1. Musawwarat es-Sufra: Great Enclosure temple complex and Temple of Apedemak
Tanzania
  1. Kilwa Kisiwani: Fortress, Mosque, Palace
  2. Songo Mnara: Palace, Mosque, Buildings, Graveyard
  3. Engaruka: Drystone structures
  4. Stone Town in Zanzibar: 2 Persian baths and Beit Al-Amani
Uganda
  1. Nyero: 5 rock art sites
  2. Mukongolo: 3 rock art sites
  3. Kampiri: rock art site
  4. Lolui Island: rock art site
  5. Kokoro: 3 rock art sites
Zimbabwe
  1. Great Zimbabwe: Great Enclosure and Hill complex

Undocumented sites

These sites have been documented by the project team but not included in the database
1. Algeria, Tassili: Engravings

2. Egypt, Luxor: Valley of the Queens

3. Jordan, Petra: SIQ canyon and tombs in co-operation with UNESCO

4. Tanzania, Laetoli: Hominid Trackway

5. United Arab Emirates, Al Ain: Archaeological site

Access to data

The Zamani Project website provides a showcase for the data it produces. Subsets of the 3D data, such as panorama tours and flythrough animations can be viewed on the site as well as examples of plans, sections and photographs.

Funding

The African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes Database exclusively funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York. Administrative support, office space and other academic services are provided by the University of Cape Town and the Geomatics Division at UCT. Additional funds are generated through documentation work for the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles and the World Monuments Fund, New York. In the early stages of the project UNESCO provided financial support for documentation in Lalibela.

Zamani team

The Zamani team members comprises four Chief Scientific Officers under the leadership of the Principal Investigator, Prof. Heinz Rüther. Interns from UCT and international universities also occasionally join the team. Occasionally Christoph Held and Professor Werner Stempfhuber accompany the Zamani team on field campaigns.