Kimberley Project

Researching the effect of the largest diamond pit in the world on Southern Africa

Kimberley

Kimberley, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, is world-renowned as the birthplace of the diamond mining industry. The discovery of diamonds here in the late 19th century sparked the famous “Diamond Rush,” transforming Kimberley into a bustling city almost overnight. The Big Hole, an enormous hand-dug pit, stands as a reminder of the city's mining history. Kimberley played a central role in shaping South Africa’s mining policies and labor systems, and while diamond mining has declined, the city’s legacy continues as a center of South African history and mining heritage.
Kimberley mine, mcgregor museum

Kimberley latest news

Mining Lives and Relations
McGregor Museum, Kimberley, South Africa
Boom2Dust is organising a conference on Multi-species Histories of Mineral Extraction in Southern Africa
read
more
June 23, 2025

Kimberley blog posts

Luke Blomsma
Fieldwork Kimberley
Archives, Dust and Northern Cape Heat
Read more
March 21, 2025
Walker Swindell
Fieldwork: Kimberley 2025
The start of my research journey as part of Boom to Dust
Read more
February 20, 2025
Jan-Bart Gewald
Diamonds in the Dust
Zama Zama Artisanal Miners and Ekapa Diamond Mining in Kimberley
Read more
January 7, 2025

Kimberley publications

No publications yet

Contact us

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please try again.