The topography of the site

The internal layout of Aghram Nadharif was the focus of two different digital surveys. While the first (1999) was fairly interpretative, the second (2001) recorded waste and rubble as well, and attempted to analyse the topography of the site using simple GIS techniques. Features were surveyed and coded from 1 to 5 according to their state of preservation and readability. The next step was the creation of a plan in the ESRI ArcGIS environment, assigning a different weight to the structures according to their code. This allowed us to recognize rooms and streets, clustering the first according to their orientation in different sectors. The interpretative process is described in the text, allowing readers to verify each reconstruction and propose different hypotheses. The final picture of the site suggests four gateways, three on the wadi side (the northern and the central having been excavated) and one on the oasis side, buildings oriented according to the city wall and streets following its internal perimeter and reaching the central part of the citadel.