Mina Al-Farsi

Archaeologist and cultural heritage specialist who has led excavations across Oman, Iraq, and Jordan for 15 years. PhD from the University of Oxford, where she studied ancient trade networks in the Persian Gulf. Born in Muscat, grew up surrounded by 5,000 years of visible history that most of her classmates ignored. Has excavated Bronze Age settlements, documented looted sites in post-conflict Iraq, and built a digital archive of endangered heritage sites using drone photogrammetry. Writes about archaeology, cultural heritage preservation, the ethics of museum collections, why artifact trafficking funds conflict, and what ancient civilizations can teach us about climate adaptation. Known for a piece about the destruction of Palmyra that explained what was lost in terms non-archaeologists could feel. Currently leading a project to train local communities in Iraq and Syria to protect their own sites. Collects antique maps and argues that the best way to understand any place is to dig.