MAHSA Project
@mahsa-project.bsky.social
University of Cambridge: Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia Project
Documenting the endangered archaeology and heritage of South Asia and publishing this information in an Open Access Arches geospatial database.
https://linktr.ee/mahsaproject
Documenting the endangered archaeology and heritage of South Asia and publishing this information in an Open Access Arches geospatial database.
https://linktr.ee/mahsaproject
CAA-UK 25 Conference Programme is now available! 📣
We have prepared an exciting schedule of workshops, talks, posters and more - explore here:
uk.caa-international.org/2025/11/20/c...
We have prepared an exciting schedule of workshops, talks, posters and more - explore here:
uk.caa-international.org/2025/11/20/c...
November 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
CAA-UK 25 Conference Programme is now available! 📣
We have prepared an exciting schedule of workshops, talks, posters and more - explore here:
uk.caa-international.org/2025/11/20/c...
We have prepared an exciting schedule of workshops, talks, posters and more - explore here:
uk.caa-international.org/2025/11/20/c...
Join us online or in person for a talk from MAHSA’s Vaneshree Vidyarthi: ‘Mapping the Indian Palaeolithic’, part of the London Centre for the Ancient Near East’s Autumn seminar series.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcane-autu...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcane-autu...
November 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Join us online or in person for a talk from MAHSA’s Vaneshree Vidyarthi: ‘Mapping the Indian Palaeolithic’, part of the London Centre for the Ancient Near East’s Autumn seminar series.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcane-autu...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lcane-autu...
In today’s #MappingMonday we take you into the field with MAHSA’s own Afifa Khan and the University of the Punjab as they survey Natho Ram Smadh, seen on the historical map. 1/7
November 17, 2025 at 1:32 PM
In today’s #MappingMonday we take you into the field with MAHSA’s own Afifa Khan and the University of the Punjab as they survey Natho Ram Smadh, seen on the historical map. 1/7
Big news! 📢 MAHSA team members have just published their research on South Asian social media and heritage in the collection, Reporting Heritage Destruction.
doi.org/10.32028/978...
doi.org/10.32028/978...
November 14, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Big news! 📢 MAHSA team members have just published their research on South Asian social media and heritage in the collection, Reporting Heritage Destruction.
doi.org/10.32028/978...
doi.org/10.32028/978...
Register for the CAA-UK Conference 2025! 📢
Join us in December for conversations in Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology.
Find out more and register to attend here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/caa-uk-202...
Join us in December for conversations in Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology.
Find out more and register to attend here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/caa-uk-202...
November 13, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Register for the CAA-UK Conference 2025! 📢
Join us in December for conversations in Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology.
Find out more and register to attend here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/caa-uk-202...
Join us in December for conversations in Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology.
Find out more and register to attend here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/caa-uk-202...
This week’s #MappingMonday takes us to the era before the Survey of India, when cartography was a confluence of reality and fantasy. This colourful map of the Mughal Empire was published c.1740 by renowned German cartographer Matthäus Seutter. (1/4)
October 27, 2025 at 10:41 AM
This week’s #MappingMonday takes us to the era before the Survey of India, when cartography was a confluence of reality and fantasy. This colourful map of the Mughal Empire was published c.1740 by renowned German cartographer Matthäus Seutter. (1/4)
Research resulting from the collaborative TwoRains project demonstrated that most animals remained local, but there are some examples of cattle and pigs being moved very long distances. The nature of the exchange system that was in operation is still debated. (5/5)
October 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Research resulting from the collaborative TwoRains project demonstrated that most animals remained local, but there are some examples of cattle and pigs being moved very long distances. The nature of the exchange system that was in operation is still debated. (5/5)
Did the Indus Civilisation use caravanserai-like settlements to support its network of exchange and interaction across long distances? The excavators of the site of Kotada Bhadli, Gujarat, India, suggest so. Caravanserais are sites that facilitate trade and transportation over long distances. (1/5)
October 23, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Did the Indus Civilisation use caravanserai-like settlements to support its network of exchange and interaction across long distances? The excavators of the site of Kotada Bhadli, Gujarat, India, suggest so. Caravanserais are sites that facilitate trade and transportation over long distances. (1/5)
Today’s belated #MappingMonday takes us to the village of Narayan Sarovar in Gujarat, India. Fortifications like those found in this village stand out on the historic maps as locations of cultural and strategic significance. They are handy sites for cross-referencing with modern satellite imagery.
October 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Today’s belated #MappingMonday takes us to the village of Narayan Sarovar in Gujarat, India. Fortifications like those found in this village stand out on the historic maps as locations of cultural and strategic significance. They are handy sites for cross-referencing with modern satellite imagery.
A very Happy Diwali from the MAHSA Team! Wishing you prosperity, happiness, health - and georeferenced historic maps 🤩
#diwali #southasia #heritage #India #Pakistan #history #festivaloflights
#diwali #southasia #heritage #India #Pakistan #history #festivaloflights
October 20, 2025 at 1:15 PM
A very Happy Diwali from the MAHSA Team! Wishing you prosperity, happiness, health - and georeferenced historic maps 🤩
#diwali #southasia #heritage #India #Pakistan #history #festivaloflights
#diwali #southasia #heritage #India #Pakistan #history #festivaloflights
Our second image is one of Harappa’s many clay figurines. It’s tricky to parse the purpose or social significance of these artefacts, and their value (symbolic and economic) may have been derived as much from their skilled manufacturing process as the finished product. (3/5)
October 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Our second image is one of Harappa’s many clay figurines. It’s tricky to parse the purpose or social significance of these artefacts, and their value (symbolic and economic) may have been derived as much from their skilled manufacturing process as the finished product. (3/5)
With Diwali around the corner, today’s #HeritageHighlights shines a light on the earthenware lamps of the Indus Valley. Lamps contribute to the vast corpus of terracotta artefacts excavated across the Indus Valley, creating (cautious) connections with modern day material culture. (1/5)
October 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
With Diwali around the corner, today’s #HeritageHighlights shines a light on the earthenware lamps of the Indus Valley. Lamps contribute to the vast corpus of terracotta artefacts excavated across the Indus Valley, creating (cautious) connections with modern day material culture. (1/5)
Last week representatives of the MAHSA team were privileged to attend the National Consultation Workshop on the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, Islamabad. (1/3)
October 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Last week representatives of the MAHSA team were privileged to attend the National Consultation Workshop on the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, Islamabad. (1/3)
Our second coin features the later Indo-Greek king, Menander I, who may have been born in Pakistan and continued to rule there. On the obverse we have the man himself, described in Greek as the “Saviour King”. (4/6)
October 9, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Our second coin features the later Indo-Greek king, Menander I, who may have been born in Pakistan and continued to rule there. On the obverse we have the man himself, described in Greek as the “Saviour King”. (4/6)
For #HeritageHighlights we’re looking at the culture-clash cash of Indo-Greek coins. It’s 185 BCE and you find yourself invading Punjab. How do you let your new subjects know who’s boss? If your first thought is to stick an elephant on your head, you’d get on well with Demetrius I of Bactria. (1/6)
October 9, 2025 at 10:02 AM
For #HeritageHighlights we’re looking at the culture-clash cash of Indo-Greek coins. It’s 185 BCE and you find yourself invading Punjab. How do you let your new subjects know who’s boss? If your first thought is to stick an elephant on your head, you’d get on well with Demetrius I of Bactria. (1/6)
It’s #MappingMonday, and this week we’re putting the Survey of India’s logo under the magnifying glass 🔍 Established in the 18th century and continuing to survey today, the Survey of India’s transition from colonial cartography to national mapping can be gleaned from its iconography. (1/4)
October 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM
It’s #MappingMonday, and this week we’re putting the Survey of India’s logo under the magnifying glass 🔍 Established in the 18th century and continuing to survey today, the Survey of India’s transition from colonial cartography to national mapping can be gleaned from its iconography. (1/4)
Part shrubbery, part colonial architecture, the Great Hedge spanned some 1500 miles across 19th century India. This colossal combination of living and dry hedge was part of the vast Inland Customs Line – a barrier intended primarily to stop salt smugglers avoiding colonial taxes. (2/6)
October 2, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Part shrubbery, part colonial architecture, the Great Hedge spanned some 1500 miles across 19th century India. This colossal combination of living and dry hedge was part of the vast Inland Customs Line – a barrier intended primarily to stop salt smugglers avoiding colonial taxes. (2/6)
For today's #HeritageHighlight, we’re hedging our bets on the theme of salt. Introducing the Great Salt Hedge of India! Disappointingly, the salt hedge was not actually made of salt, but that doesn’t mean it was just a hedge. (1/6)
October 2, 2025 at 11:26 AM
For today's #HeritageHighlight, we’re hedging our bets on the theme of salt. Introducing the Great Salt Hedge of India! Disappointingly, the salt hedge was not actually made of salt, but that doesn’t mean it was just a hedge. (1/6)
Finally, we can see a fort that has been lost to time… until now! This fort is now a tangible target for documentation and an archaeological survey. These maps enable important sites to live on in the historic record and local memory. (4/4) #archaeology #historicalmaps #mapping #ludhiana
September 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Finally, we can see a fort that has been lost to time… until now! This fort is now a tangible target for documentation and an archaeological survey. These maps enable important sites to live on in the historic record and local memory. (4/4) #archaeology #historicalmaps #mapping #ludhiana
Fort number three exemplifies how sites can be lost to urban expansion. However, its perimeter can still be traced in the layout of the streets; a detail that would probably be missed without the historical map. (3/4)
September 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Fort number three exemplifies how sites can be lost to urban expansion. However, its perimeter can still be traced in the layout of the streets; a detail that would probably be missed without the historical map. (3/4)
Our first fort is in good condition, and is easily recognisable today. You can see that our second fort is slightly more deteriorated. The structures within the fort are mostly visible, and the surrounding land gives the suggestion of its lost walls and bastions. (2/4)
September 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Our first fort is in good condition, and is easily recognisable today. You can see that our second fort is slightly more deteriorated. The structures within the fort are mostly visible, and the surrounding land gives the suggestion of its lost walls and bastions. (2/4)
In today’s #MappingMonday we are fort-unate to share how historic maps can bring lost landscapes back into perspective. Here we have a selection of forts in the Ludhiana region of Punjab, India – each demonstrating a different level of preservation on the satellite imagery. (1/4)
September 29, 2025 at 3:43 PM
In today’s #MappingMonday we are fort-unate to share how historic maps can bring lost landscapes back into perspective. Here we have a selection of forts in the Ludhiana region of Punjab, India – each demonstrating a different level of preservation on the satellite imagery. (1/4)
Feeling salty? You certainly will be after a trip to the Khewra Salt Mine in today’s #HeritageHighlights. Found in the creatively named Salt Range in northern Punjab, the mine is famed for its vast reserves of pink Himalayan rock salt. (1/4)
September 26, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Feeling salty? You certainly will be after a trip to the Khewra Salt Mine in today’s #HeritageHighlights. Found in the creatively named Salt Range in northern Punjab, the mine is famed for its vast reserves of pink Himalayan rock salt. (1/4)
For this week’s #MappingMonday we are taking you to… jail! 🚓
Welcome to New Central Jail Multan, located in Punjab, Pakistan. Built in 1930, the jail was brand new when it was recorded in the historical map by the Survey of India. (1/5)
Welcome to New Central Jail Multan, located in Punjab, Pakistan. Built in 1930, the jail was brand new when it was recorded in the historical map by the Survey of India. (1/5)
September 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
For this week’s #MappingMonday we are taking you to… jail! 🚓
Welcome to New Central Jail Multan, located in Punjab, Pakistan. Built in 1930, the jail was brand new when it was recorded in the historical map by the Survey of India. (1/5)
Welcome to New Central Jail Multan, located in Punjab, Pakistan. Built in 1930, the jail was brand new when it was recorded in the historical map by the Survey of India. (1/5)
Today’s #HeritageHighlights takes us to the storied Rampur Raza Library in Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1774, the library flourished under the patronage of the scholarly Nawabs of Rampur who grew the collection with books, rare manuscripts, artwork, and calligraphy. (1/3)
September 18, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Today’s #HeritageHighlights takes us to the storied Rampur Raza Library in Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1774, the library flourished under the patronage of the scholarly Nawabs of Rampur who grew the collection with books, rare manuscripts, artwork, and calligraphy. (1/3)