Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Saving Somaliland's Heritage

[Jacaylbaro]

(CNN) -- When Sada Mire fled war-torn Somalia as a frightened teenager, the nation was descending into darkness, mired in the grip of a long civil conflict.

 

But several years later, when she returned to the Horn of Africa as an ambitious archaeologist, her fierce determination and meticulous fieldwork brought to light the region's rich cultural heritage.

 

In 2007, her archaeological pursuits resulted in the discovery of 5,000-year-old rock art in Somaliland, a breakaway state in the northwest corner of Somalia.

 

The prehistoric findings, which include renderings of animals as well as human figures, are significant in enhancing understanding about the prehistoric way of life across the region, says Mire.

 

Somaliland's first archaeologist, Mire is now on a mission to preserve and protect what she says is a heritage at risk of disappearing.

 

 

READ MORE + VIDEO: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/10/sada.mire.somalia.archaeologist/index.html?section=cnn_latest