A new IPHES-CERCA mission in Morocco strengthens scientific and cultural cooperation in the Oriental region
From 15 to 24 November, a team from IPHES-CERCA and UAM carried out a new field mission in eastern Morocco, within the framework of the bilateral project that the centre has been developing in the region for nearly two decades. The mission combined archaeological research, field prospecting, and the strengthening of institutional and cultural ties—one of the strategic pillars of the project.
Scientific progress at Mohammed I University in Oujda
The first stage of the mission took place at the Faculté des Sciences of Université Mohammed I (Oujda), where the team analysed archaeological materials from several sites in the Aïn Beni Mathar–Guefaït Basin.
Specialised photography, video recordings and photogrammetry work were carried out—essential techniques for documenting the material with high precision and preparing future scientific publications.
This joint work reinforces the long-standing collaboration between IPHES-CERCA and the Moroccan university, one of the fundamental pillars of the project since its inception.
Geoarchaeological prospecting in Aïn Beni Mathar
The mission continued with three days of fieldwork in the Aïn Beni Mathar area, where geoarchaeological samples were collected at the sites of Aïn Tabouda, Gara Soultana and Oued el Haï, all associated with the Early Pleistocene.
These surveys provide key data on stratigraphy, sedimentary processes and landscape dynamics—essential aspects for reconstructing the earliest human occupations in eastern Morocco and understanding the evolution of the territory.
Strengthening ties with the region: culture, heritage and outreach
Another key objective of the mission was to consolidate relations with cultural and institutional actors in the Oriental region.
The Centre d’Interprétation du Patrimoine Culturel Archéologique et Naturel du l’Oriental (CIP, Oujda), inaugurated two months ago, and the University Museum of Archaeology and Heritage of the Université Mohammed I (UMP) are initiatives led by Prof. Hassan Aouraghe (co-director of the research project and scientific director of the CIP). Both institutions aim to disseminate and highlight the results of the project jointly developed by UMP, IPHES and other national and international research centres (UAM, UB, UAB, CENIEH, among others), both within the scientific community and among the local population.
During these days, the team also carried out guided visits to political institutions and social organisations in the Oriental region, with the goal of strengthening collaboration and raising awareness of the region’s heritage potential. Among them, the visit to the Fondation Hiba stands out—a key institution dedicated to promoting and developing the arts in all their forms (cinema, music, photography, fashion and design, street arts, dance and theatre) in Morocco.
This space, crucial for cultural development, provides a strategic point for the social transfer of research. The meeting enabled the exploration of new avenues of collaboration aimed at bringing archaeological heritage closer to the public and strengthening interaction between the project and cultural actors in the region.
20 years of shared archaeology in North Africa
The mission adds to IPHES-CERCA’s strong participation in the 3rd International Symposium on North African Vertebrate Paleontology (NAVEP3), held in October, where various works linked to North African archaeology and palaeontology were presented. This presence strengthens the project’s international profile and its role in studying the earliest human dispersal on the continent.
Since 2006, the Aïn Beni Mathar–Guefaït Basin has been the focus of a research project co-directed by Dr Robert Sala and Dr M. Gema Chacón (IPHES-CERCA), Dr Hassan Aouraghe (Université Mohammed Premier d’Oujda), and—since 2025—Prof. Saïd Bengamra (of the same university). The project aims to investigate the origins of human settlement in North Africa, one of the key regions for understanding the evolution of the earliest human communities.
This work is possible thanks to extensive institutional collaboration between IPHES-CERCA, the Faculté de Sciences (Université Mohammed Premier), the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), the government of Jerada, the local authorities of Aïn Beni Mathar and Guefaït, and the Ministère de la Jeunesse, de la Culture et de la Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco.
The research has been funded by the Ministry of Culture and Sport (Ref.: 42-T002018N0000042853 and 170-T002019N0000038589), the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (HUMANCOGNENV project – PID2024-156295NB-I00), the Faculté de Sciences (Université Mohammed Premier), INSAP, Fundación Palarq, the CERCA programme, the María de Maeztu programme (CEX2019-000945-M and CEX2024-01485-M), and the SGR grants of the Government of Catalonia (2017 SGR 836, 2017 SGR 859, 2021 SGR 01238, 2021 SGR 01237).