Photo: Graham Trott, Grooming: Claire Hanson
When Sada Mire was just 12, her father, a Somali police official, was executed by the country's brutal Barre regime, which saw him as a political threat. In 1991 she fled Somalia, reuniting with family in Sweden and eventually pursuing graduate studies in England. But while working on her Ph.D. in archaeology from University College London, Mire's academic interests drew her back to Africa. She returned to her homeland for the first time in 16 years to carry out research in Somaliland—a relatively peaceful, self-declared state in the northwestern part of Somalia—where she discovered several prehistoric rock art sites. In 2007 she was named Somaliland's Director of Antiquities. Mire hopes to spur interest in the region's cultural heritage, using the past to foster peace and understanding among her people today.
You are the world's only active Somali archaeologist. How did you become interested in this career? 
When I was a refugee, I studied Scandinavian archaeology because I wanted to understand my new surroundings. After learning about European culture, I became interested in my own past.
What do you consider to be the most important ancient site in Somaliland?
From an archaeological standpoint, I would pickLaas Geel, a well-
preserved 10,000-year-old cave art site that is one of the oldest in Africa. The images in the cave are mainly cows painted with big udders, apparently to symbolize fertility. The cows are shown being worshiped by human figures wearing painted hides, who are perhaps idols themselves.