Our guest is Rizwan Safir, an archaeologist and curator. Rizwan specialised in Middle Eastern archaeology and has worked for over a decade across the region, participating in excavation and heritage projects in Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Qatar.  

He has worked for the British Museum, Humboldt University Berlin and Copenhagen University on leading research projects and is currently working as the Head of Research for Barker Langham, a cultural heritage consultancy focused on the development of museums and exhibitions around the world.

Rizwan also serves as the Chairman of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Research Association UK (AMRA UK) and is the Editor for the Archaeology Section of the Review of Religions.

We discuss the great archaeological history in Africa and the civilisations that thrived in the past and remain greatly unknown. 

#research #archeology #Africa 

[00:00] Intro

[01:20] Childhood in Saudi Arabia & Archaeology

[04:09] Uncovering history for the first time 

[07:27] European bias with African history 

[09:45] 'Archaeology cuts through historical bias'

[10:42] How slavery & colonialism were justified

[13:49] German Philosopher, George Hagel justified slavery!

[14:47] Richard Francis Burton's horrific rhetoric 

[15:37] Archaeology is removing bias 

[16:41] 3 Great Civilisations in Africa

[18:15] The Kingdom of Aksum

[19:39] Christian African King gave refuge to Muslims

[21:31] Mansa Musa - The Richest Man in History 

[23:45] The great pilgrimage of Mansa Musa to Mecca

[25:26] Importance of African history

[26:22] Why Mansa Musa converted to Islam

[29:54] The Kingdom of Kush

[32:29] Egypt vs. Kush - The Black Pharaohs 

[33:57] The diverse tapestry of Kush

[34:59] Ibn Battuta - A giant in world history

[37:12] Why civilisations decline & end

[42:07] The Quran & inspiration for archaeology

[43:40] The City of Iram of the Pillars 

[44:53] Untapped potential stories & archaeological 

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🎙 The Al Hakam Inspire Podcast is hosted by Ataul Fatir Tahir and Dr Hasham Ahmad.

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