Cidade Velha, Cape Verde

In March 2015, CyArk digitally documented Cidade Velha in partnership with the African World Heritage Fund. Panoramic photography and LiDAR laser scanning were completed at four locations around the city including the Sé Cathedral, Nossa Senhora do Rosário Church, Fort Real de São Filipe and the Pillory square. CyArk also conducted a training workshop for African World Heritage Fund staff, local experts from Cape Verde and a variety of heritage specialists from the Lusophone community around the world. The workshop focused on digital documentation methods and the how digital data can be used for conservation.

First colonized in the mid-1400's by the Portuguese, Cabo Verde would quickly become the center of the largest human diaspora in history due to the large number of enslaved people who passed through the city. Beginning as a small town, the city received a Royal Charter in 1466 giving permission to own and trade enslaved people from Africa. Over the next 100 years,the settlement would increase in importance through its dominant trade in gold and slaves. As its wealth increased the city was subject to frequent raids by pirates and other nations seeking to exploit the city's riches. The fear of attack led the town to build the largest fort of it day, Forte de Sao Felipe, in 1590.