Prof. Ahmed G. Fahmy Memorial Prize

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About the International Workshop of African Archaeobotany

Founded in 1994, the International Workshop for African Archaeobotany (IWAA) showcases new research on archaeological plant remains across Africa, supporting the understanding of past human-plant relationships within changing environments. 

IWAA XI will be held in Egypt in 2026. It will run between November 9th, 2026 and November 11th, 2026, with an excursion in Cairo on November 12th.

Conference research spans the entire African continent, covering diverse environments from Mediterranean to tropical forest and desert regions. Material studied includes macroremains like seeds and fruits, and microremains such as phytoliths and pollen.

IWAA offers a multidisciplinary forum to present and discuss findings on current research. Interdisciplinary elements include historical, ethnological, anthropological, ethnographic, linguistic, molecular, and geochemical analyses related to ancient plant use. Themes encompass agriculture, food practices, crafts, funeral rituals, diffusion dynamics, trade, plant domestication, fuel management, and landscape evolution. 

IWAA XI will be organised and hosted by the American University in Cairo, alongside other partners who will be announced in due course.

For questions, please contact us on: iwaa2026cairo@gmail.com 

Important Dates

1st November 2025                  Deadline for submission of abstracts 

15th January 2026 Deadline for submitting Dr Ahmed G. Fahmy prize applications

26th February 2026                  Informing authors of selected oral paper and posters

1st March - 30th April 2026      Early bird registration

30th April - 30th Sept 2026     Regular registration

9-12th November 2026           Conference

Scientific Committee

Alemseged Beldados Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Anna-Maria Mercuri University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy

Charlène Bouchaud CNRS/National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France

Claire Malleson American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Dorian Q. Fuller University College, London, UK

Jacob Morales University of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain

Jérôme Ros CNRS/Université Montpellier, France

Katharina Neumann Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Leonor Peña Chocarro Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain

Louis Champion University of Montpellier, France

Margareta Tengberg National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France

Mennat-Allah El Dorry American University in Cairo/Ain Shams University, Egypt

Philippa Ryan Kew Gardens, UK

Salima Ikram American University in Cairo, Egypt

Sarah Walshaw Simon Fraser University, Canada

Organising Committee

Mennat-Allah El Dorry American University in Cairo/Ain Shams University, Egypt

Claire Malleson American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Salima Ikram American University in Cairo, Egypt

Hadeel Zahran Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt