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In 1999 UNESCO inscribed Sukur, located in the Mandara mountains of northeast Nigeria, on the World Heritage List. The citation calls it an exceptional landscape illustrating a form of land-use that marks a critical stage in human settlement and its relationship with its environment. The cultural landscape of Sukur is also eloquent testimony to a strong and continuing spiritual and cultural tradition that has endured for many centuries.       Click on the UNESCO document to read relevant sections.

Sukur is an anomaly among World Heritage sites in that it is virtually unknown beyond its immediate area. This site is being developed to introduce Sukur to the wider world by assembling as much information on its unique society and rich, self-reliant culture as is available in archives, publications, and the data collected by Nic David and Judy Sterner in the context of the Mandara Archaeological Project. Other materials, some hopefully contributed by the Sukur themselves, will be added as they become available.

A proposal for an International Peace Park

Our work at Sukur forms part of the larger Mandara Archaeological Project which we began in 1984 and has continued ever since. (A bibliography contains numerous references to the publications of project members.) But besides research we are also concerned to do what we can to assist the peoples of the Mandara mountains in matters of development. One outcome is a proposal for an International Peace Park/Parc International de la Paix (these presentations take time to load) that would include Sukur and other cultural and natural sites on both sides of the Nigeria-Cameroon border. We would appreciate your comments, suggestions and support in turning this proposal into a reality.

Acknowledgements

The research upon which this web site is founded was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the form of grants to the Mandara Archaeological Project (1984-present). Judy Sterner's fieldwork was funded in part by the School of Oriental and African Studies and the University of London. Branwen Hennig and James Wade contributed photographs, and Ekkehard Wolff and Paul Newman provided wordlists of the Sukur language. We are grateful to the Nigerian Commission for Museums and Monuments and to their staff for permissions and assistance. Our greatest debt is of course to Xidi (chief) Gezik Kanakakaw of Sukur, to his people and to our Sukur assistants, all of whom graciously received us and made our stays at Sukur the supreme fieldwork experiences of our lives. Hanu vena!

We also thank the University of Calgary for its long term support of the Mandara Archaeological Project and for the hosting of this site.

Copyright notice

The material on this website is protected by copyright. Short extracts and up to five images may be freely used by individuals for personal and educational purposes without permission. More extensive use requires permission and fees are charged for commercial use, with the proceeds less expenses going to benefit the people of Sukur. All such requests should be directed to Nicholas David, Archaeology Department, University of Calgary, Calgary AB, Canada T2N 1N4, or by email to ndavid@ucalgary.ca.

 Welcome: you are visitor number since 14 November 2004.

The residence of Chief Gezik Kanakakaw of Sukur in August 1992.

CLICK on the map above and a large scale map of Sukur will open in a new screen. It is a big file that takes time to load. Please KEEP IT OPEN and refer to it as needed while you visit the site.

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