Collections | British Institute in Eastern Africa

BIEA Library

The BIEA Nairobi library offers an extensive collection of books, theses and periodicals covering African history, archaeology, ethnography and social sciences. It serves as a dedicated research space for members during opening hours, without the need for an appointment.

Find out more

BIEA Archive

BIEA maintains archives of unpublished records and images, mainly collected by researchers associated with the institute over the last 50 years. The collection is primarily historical, anthropological, and archaeological in nature, in form of field notes, slides, site plans, photographs, cassette tapes, diskettes, films, tapes, maps, and Compact Disks (CDs).

Find out more

Archive Highlights

BIEA’s digital archives include images from a series of archaeological projects led by former director Neville Chittick between 1961 and 1983, while related materials – such as field notes, maps and sketches – are held in the institute’s physical archives in Nairobi.

Mogadishu

Mogadishu – whose history spans over a millennium – was described by the renowned Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta in 1331 CE as a “city of endless size.” Its architectural styles reflect a blend of indigenous western and Arabic influences, shaped by long-standing connections with the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. This cultural fusion is apparent in both historical and contemporary depictions of Mogadishu within the archive.

Neville Chittick’s archaeological research in Somalia captured changes in the landscape, both in Mogadishu and surrounding coastal locations, through photographs depicting architecture and everyday life at more than fifty sites in Somalia between 1974 and 1983. The BIEA collection provides insights into the region’s Islamic heritage and western-influenced architectural features, some of which have since deteriorated or been destroyed by conflict.

View in archive

Kilwa Kisiwani

Kilwa Kisiwani was a stone-built city continuously occupied since the 11th century CE, reaching its peak in the 14th century. It formed part of a vibrant Swahili metropolis along the East African coast and its islands, serving as a key trade centre where goods from the interior—including ivory, gold, ambergris and timber—were traded with Arabia, Persia, and as far as Gujarat, India.

The archaeological materials Neville Chittick recovered from Kilwa Kisiwani in the 1960s and 1970s are now housed at the National Museum in Tanzania. However, the BIEA in Nairobi retains related documentation, including photographs, slides, sketches, and field notes.

View in archive

Aksum

The kingdom of Aksum, established in the early first millennium CE, served as a crucial trade link between the Far East and the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and facilitated the movement of goods between the African interior and the Mediterranean world. It also reflects the early presence of Christianity in the region, exemplified by sites like the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, traditionally believed to house the biblical “Ark of the Covenant.”

The Aksum collection holds records of the archaeological expeditions conducted by Neville Chittick from 1972 to 1974, with findings later published by Munro-Hay (1989) and David Philipson (1993; 1997). The BIEA archive preserves slides, photographs, field notes and maps that showcase architectural marvels including monolithic stelae, cathedrals, tombs, and palaces.

View in archive

Konso

The Konso community of Southern Ethiopia occupies the highlands, overlooking the Great Rift Valley. The BIEA collection includes digitized images from a 1970s survey conducted by Neville Chittick documenting Konso subsistence practices, notably their intricate terracing and indigenous irrigation systems. It also features architectural documentation of houses, granaries, roads, and the surrounding landscape. Additional materials include films from ethno-archaeological research conducted in 2001-2002, highlighting the role of Konso women as tool makers. The recordings document techniques of producing and using stone tools, offering rare insight into one of the last communities still using stone flake technology.

View in archive

More from the BIEA

Get involved

The British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) promotes innovative research on the histories, cultures, and societies of a region spanning Sudan to Mozambique.

Find out more