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Incognita: Tassili N'Ajjer National Park |
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Issue 25
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The middle of the Sahara is not the sort of place you'd expect to come across a national park. Nor to find a combination of geological and cultural features of such exceptionally importance that Unesco declared the area a World Heritage Site in 1982.
Tassili n'Ajjer, in south-eastern Algeria, has been called "the world's largest prehistoric art gallery." But it's not just a spectacular lesson in rock art history and human development that you'll get there. Wandering through the strange lunar landscape of plateaux and ‘stone forests' you might glimpse wildlife, such as the caracal, or even a golden eagle resting on its southerly migration.
The plateau or tassili of N'Ajjer is like an illustrated history book. Among dull red and black desert rocks, more than 15,000 paintings and engravings tell a story of a verdant past: of a Sahara that supported an amazing variety of flora and fauna - much like the present-day savannahs and lakes of East Africa. Lime, cypress and olive groves once grew here; elephant, lion, ostrich, antelope and giant buffalo roamed the plains; dwarf crocodiles swam in the rivers; men hunted with clubs and bows and kept domestic horses and camels. Although dating and interpreting rock art remain subjects of intense debate, here, as at other Saharan sites, the imagery is commonly divided into four periods based on style and content: Archaic (or Bubaline), Bovidian (or Cattle), Horse, and Camel. A further period at Tassili - the Roundhead - refers to the appearance of round-headed Martian-like figures (which Erich von Daniken later adopted as evidence of aliens). Symbolic figures, such as the Great God of Sefar, suggest highly organised societies with religious beliefs.
The beautiful and colourful images range from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle 7000 years ago to the turn of the 1st century ad when men rode camels and drove horse-drawn chariots. In some scenes men carry spears and shields, or sit and chat. In others, figures take part in rituals, dancers wear leggings and musicians play stringed instruments. Elegant women are shown working and talking - one sits feeding her baby - while men at a well, 4000 years ago, carry leather buckets similar to those used by nomads today.
From complex low-relief carvings of ‘crying cows' to dancing figures decorated with body paintings, the pictures never fail to intrigue. They leave you exhilarated and wondering about that lost world of the Sahara…
Fact File Travel advisory
The FCO (www.fco.gov.uk) currently advises against all holiday and other non-essential travel to Algeria.
Getting there
Access to the plateau is by foot or pack animal. Tours (typically 4-7 days) can be arranged through travel agencies in Djanet. In the UK, try booking through Saharan Expeditions (www.sahara-sahel.com) and Dragoman (www.dragoman.co.uk).
When to go
October to May.
Information
www.wcmc.org.uk |
