LAHORE: A five-day training program focused on mapping archaeological heritage in South Asia commenced at Punjab University's Department of Archaeology in collaboration with the University of Cambridge. The training, titled "Mapping Archaeological Heritage in South Asia" (MAHSA), will provide participants with valuable skills in GIS and heritage documentation.

According to University of the Punjab, the opening ceremony was attended by key university figures, including Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali, Dean Faculty of Arts and Humanities Prof. Dr. Mahboob Hussain, and other faculty members. In his address, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali highlighted the importance of the training for heritage documentation and preservation, as well as its role in the career development of young archaeologists. The session was moderated by Dr. Samia Tahir, with training facilitated by Ms. Azadeh Vafadari from MAHSA and Ms. Afifa from the University of Cambridge.

The training program will cover various topics, such as the use of QGIS in archaeology, remote sensing and georeferencing, Open Data Kit survey methods, and techniques for reading and identifying features on historical maps. It will also include guidance on photographing archaeological heritage. The program is scheduled to run until October 16.