Sada Mire is only 35, but she has already revealed a dozen sites that could be candidates for Unesco world heritage status. She has a fellowship in the department of art and archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is head of the department of antiquities in the breakaway territory of Somaliland, in the north-west region of Somalia. She is the only archaeologist working in the region.
Driving her forward is the urge to uncover and preserve a cultural heritage that has been systematically looted, both in colonial times and more recently by warlords trading national heritage for guns. The region has proved to be rich in archaeological wonders, which Sada Mire has been logging for the last four years with a team of 50 helpers.
She has recorded ancient rock art at 100 sites, medieval Islamic towns, and pre-Islamic Christian burial sites.
The most stunning of Ms Mire's discoveries is a vast series of rock art sites in Dhambalin, outside the seaside town of Berbera.
The brightly coloured and beautifully preserved rock paintings, depicting domesticated animals, could be up to 5,000 years old. Men are depicted riding on the back of some of the animals, or with raised arms, as if worshipping the cattle.
Wild animals such as giraffes - which no longer exist in this rocky, arid climate - also appear, suggesting a shift in weather patterns since the paintings were made.
"We all agree that this is an important discovery," says Lazare Eloundou Assomo, chief of Africa at the Unesco World Heritage Centre.
But as Somaliland is not recognised by the UN, and Somalia has not ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention, there is no question of the site getting world heritage status in the near future.
She was brought up in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and still vividly remembers the first bomb, which exploded as she was watering the flowers outside her family home. Within weeks, she was fleeing with her siblings and her mother on top of a relative's lorry, dodging bandits who threatened to attack and rape refugees. Her mother had to sell jewellery along the way to buy food. Together with her twin she eventually made it to Sweden, where they joined an older sister and were granted asylum.
Arriving in the north of the country in the dead of winter, with snow and ice all around, was like stepping into a different world, she says.
As she learned about her new home, she also became acutely aware of the lack of historical knowledge of Africa, before slavery and colonialism. Unearthing the history of her homeland became her key objective.
So far, her work has been limited to Somaliland which, unlike the rest of Somalia, remains relatively peaceful. Even so, travelling between towns she employs guards armed with AK-47s. The roads themselves are treacherous, and landmines and deadly snakes litter the countryside where many of the archaeological sites are found.
Some sites are also now secured by armed guards, to prevent looters.
The country as yet has no museums.
"She is working under incredibly difficult conditions," says Dr Andrew Reid of University College London - Ms Mire's PhD supervisor.
Sada Mire regards national heritage as a human right, crucial to a nation's sense of itself even during a time of conflict and famine.
"When we find sites and I am able to tell local people about the importance of the site and the potential that can come from it - its significance for world heritage - it gives them dignity and pride," she says.
Thanks to coldrum for the link. For more, see http://www.bbc.co.uk
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