Niger - Two rhinos clash - Stonecutting at the confluence Enneri Blaka / Enneri Domo

Niger - Djado - Enneri Blaka, Site 5 - Engraving of a rhinoceros, period of hartebeest

Bunch of grass - Enneri Blaka - Niger

The "Submarine" in the Wadi Enneri Blaka got this name thanks to its form. In this region there are many objects of rock art.

Bitriangular person of the Garamantic era. Picketing engraving. (Enneri Blaka - Site 11 - Niger)

Maximilien Bruggmann and his team during the Blaka mission (1969) in Wadi Mathendous (Libya). From 1961 to 2003, Maximilien Bruggmann undertook 18 expeditions to the Sahara. He created two films, took several thousand photos and illustrated four large books. The Equipe Mission Blaka in front of the famous tail crocodile with a length of 2.25 m in the Wadi Mathendous: Philippe Roulet, Jean-Claude Bourgeon, Eva Bruggmann, Zoumri, Jean Garzoni, Maximilien Bruggmann - Libya - 1969

At the entrance to Enneri Blaka, a dry wadi in the Djado plateau in north-eastern Niger. It is located in the northern extension of the Kaouar Valley, which is known for its salt flats and oases such as Bilma. In its surroundings are numerous rock paintings and prehistoric relics, as well as a rock formation known as the "submarine". The Enneri Blaka ends in the large sand desert of Ténéré. About 50 km to the southwest is the well-known oasis of Chirfa. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

In the Enneri Blaka on the way to the submarine. - Niger - 1968

The "submarine" in the Enneri Blaka owes its name to the shape it resembles. In reality, the Enneri is a wadi, a river. In the picture you can see the four Landrovers of the 18th journey, which was led by Maximilien Bruggmann. On this trip, 3 new sites were documented. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

You might think you were seeing the mighty conning tower of a submarine emerging from an ocean of sand. In reality, the Enneri Blaka is a wadi, a river. But instead of water, today there is only sand. - Niger - 1975

Tracks in the sand on the way to the submarine. Two Land Rovers were involved in the 1968/1969 expedition "Mission Blaka". Seven prehistoric sites were discovered. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

The "submarine" at Enneri Blaka owes its name to the shape it resembles. Wouldn't you think you were seeing the mighty conning tower of a submarine emerging from an ocean of sand? In reality, the Enneri is a wadi, a river, but here, in the barren bed in the middle of which the strange rock rises, nothing has flowed for a very long time, and the "submarine" is fossilised forever. Seldom has a region been more severely beaten with barrenness than that in which the Blaka lies. For not the smallest shrub grows there, and the camel riders who have visited it speak of it as a hell without water and without the slightest hope of life . . . And yet shepherds once grazed their flocks here. In the camp, their peaceful life took place without clashes, and local artists decorated the walls of the abris and the smooth rock surfaces with beautiful engravings and fine paintings. The fact that one also finds depictions of hippos suggests that a lake existed nearby ... But so far there is no irrefutable evidence, such as a vertebra of a large fish found in the sand, for the correctness of this assumption. In the large abri of the "submarine", one has discovered the outstanding depiction of a hind in white and ochre, which bears an astonishing resemblance to works from the wall art of South Africa. Convergence or influence? It is impossible to answer this question with the current state of our knowledge. - Niger - 1968

Evening mood over the Enneri Blaka. View from the base camp at the submarine. - Niger - 1968

The sky in this landscape is the sky of which the poet dreams. The multicoloured palette of this still life is of incredible richness. The rock emerges from a sea of sand and although lost in the northeast of Niger, the austere beauty of the Enneri Blaka is one of those that one does not forget. - Niger - 1968

Virgin sand - view from the base camp at the submarine. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

View from the base camp at the submarine. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

"Le gran cirque" - A section of the Enneri Blaka resembles a large circle in which there are large rock formations, like islands in the sea. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

There is no more water flowing in the Wadi Enneri Blaka. Instead, the steady wind has shaped the sand into waves. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1969

The Sahara is a desert in the true sense of the word only for those who have never seen it. The slightest rain, the poorest humidity and the smallest water hole already allow for a vegetation that never ceases to amaze the traveller. And how much life then develops around the freshly sprouted plant .... Even the wind compels the weak stems of the "gazelle grass" to mark its all too constant direction, using them instead of a compass. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

Sand dunes and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Sand dunes and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Site 1 - Niger - 1968

Two line-engraved rhinoceroses. From right horn to left tail: 0.84 m. - Site 1 in the "Submarine" rock shelter. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Sand dunes and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

View from the site 4th - Giraffes in a stiff, decadent style were carved into the rock. The largest giraffe measures 1.05 m in height. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1967

Enneri Blaka is located in the flat Djado massif in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Niger. In 1956, the Meharists Lamothe and Moreau had discovered various rock engravings on a large, remote rock in the Enneri Blaka and reported them. When the Berliet-Ténéré mission passed by in 1960, some members made an inventory of this interesting site. They named the unusual-looking rock "Le sous-marin" (The Submarine) and called it Blaka Site 1. They discovered two other interesting sites nearby. During the T4 mission of 1966/67, we visited the three sites discovered by the Berliet mission to take film and photographs. About 1700 m north of the "submarine" we found a new station, which we called Site 4. It was a very large, hammered elephant. We could not continue our search in this area because we had too little fuel and too little time to get to the Tibesti Mountains in northern Chad. An idea was born: We should return and search the Enneri Blaka thoroughly, where we would most likely discover more new sites. In 1968/69, during the Blaka mission, another 7 stations were found and documented (See plan). Our last mission to explore Enneri Blaka took place in 1975. 3 new stations were found. By this time, a total of 14 sites had been documented.

View from the site 4th - Giraffes in a stiff, decadent style were carved into the rock. The largest giraffe measures 1.05 m in height. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Sun-dried shrub found at site 4 - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

At "site 5 " in the Enneri Blaka area, discovered in 1968 by the Blaka expedition (led by Maximilien Bruggmann), we have preserved intact an abri, a rock niche under which Neolithic people had lived around 5000 BC. In the foreground you can see a rubbing stone left in the middle of a rubbing ground into the rock bench itself. On the other side of the valley, another reef, dry, burnt, barren. But one can easily imagine that green banks lined the river at the time when people lived in the Blaka. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

On the opposite side of the valley is site 7. It is found in the left third, to the right of the stone illuminated by the sun. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

The "West Island" in the big ring. Site 8 is located in a shelter of these rocks. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Another view of the "West Island" in the big ring. Here the site 8 is in a shelter of these rocks. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Sand dunes with waves and rocks in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

The large abri with paintings at site 10 of Enneri Blaka in the Republic of Niger is another example of the localities that attracted Neolithic people. Very good details of the paintings decorating these abris can be found in images SAR-117, SAR-119 and SAR-121 of the chapter "Rock Art in the Sahara". - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

We have already shown the exterior view of the rock niche from site 10 in Enneri Blaka in the previous picture. Here is the view from the inside. Note at the top left the edge of the large painting with the cattle facing the motionless and barren desert. The cave opens towards the southeast, and from there you can see the other bank of the Enneri. This remarkable site is one of a succession of eight sites, all discovered by the Blaka expedition led by Maximilien Bruggmann in 1968. - Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1968

Pre-Islamic tomb in the north of Enneri Blaka. Note the Landrover of the 1975 expedition.

As here in Enneri Blaka, Niger, the sand is constantly abrading the sandstone against which it is violently hurled by the wind. Swollen by the material it has loosened, it enriches the dunes of the great erg. Over time, however, the sand from which the dunes are formed begins to solidify and become sandstone again! This is an unexpected form of self-regeneration.

Stone mill found near site 11 in Enneri Blaka - Niger - 1975

Probably the most common evidence of the Neolithic in the Sahara are arrowheads. - The polished axe must have been the primary weapon or implement of Neolithic man. Thousands of them have been found, and the beauty of its shape and the fine grain of the minerals chosen are a source of admiration. – Site 1 - Enneri Blaka - Niger – 1975

Chapter 2: DJADO - Niger Enneri Blaka is located in the flat Djado massif in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Niger. In 1956, the Meharists Lamothe and Moreau discovered various rock engravings on a large, remote rock in the Enneri Blaka and reported them. When the Berliet-Ténéré mission passed by in 1960, some members drew up an inventory of this interesting site. They gave the unusual-looking rock the name ‘Le sous-marin’ (The submarine) and called it Blaka Site 1. They discovered two other interesting sites nearby.

The Sahara, especially the Central Sahara, contains the world's largest and most diverse deposit of rock art. It has been largely explored. Only a few larger regions have been omitted from research to date, primarily due to logistical difficulties. The Djado Plateau in the north-east of Niger is one of these archaeological ‘blank spots’. This is where the Enneri Blaka, a dry wadi, is located. Maximilien Bruggmann reports: 'During the T4 mission of 1966/67, we visited the three stations discovered by the Berliet mission in the Enneri Blaka to take films and photographs. About 1700 metres north of the ‘submarine’ we found a new station, which we called Site 4. It was a very large, hammered elephant. We could not continue our search in this area as we had too little petrol and too little time to get to the Tibesti Mountains in the north of Chad. An idea was born: We should return and search the Enneri Blaka thoroughly, where we would most likely discover more new sites. In 1968/69, during the Blaka mission, another 7 sites were found and documented (see plan). Our last mission to explore Enneri Blaka took place in 1975 - . Three new stations were found. Up to this point, a total of 14 sites had been documented.

As part of the archaeological exploration of the Sahara, trip 18 in 1975 - led to the Ténéré and the Enneri Blaka. The purpose was to search for rock paintings and engravings. The picture shows the arrival of the expedition with the 4 Landrovers at the ‘submarine’ in the Enneri Blaka.

87 - View of Enneri Blaka. - As we reached the edge of the cliffs with a view of Enneri, we had the impression that a command post of a submarine was emerging from the sand. The name has remained... and the illusion is striking (see the photo by Maximilien Bruggmann illustrating the beginning of the Djado chapter). The site itself was discovered in 1956 by the Méharist officers Lamothe and Moreau. In 1959, the Berliet-Ténéré mission added sites 2 and 3. The Bruggmann mission completed the inventory in 1967 with the discovery of site 4. Then, at the end of 1968, during the research of the Blaka mission, also led by Maximilien Bruggmann, other very interesting sites were found, which were assigned the numbers 5 to 11. On the west face of the "submarine," there is a remarkable giraffe engraving from the old layer (Neolithic or Bubaline), captured in motion. Height of this giraffe: 0.70 meters. Site 1.

At the foot of the ‘Sous-Marin’ of the Berliet Mission, the ‘Mission Blaka’ set up its base camp under a rock shelter, protected by a dune. Between the end of November and mid-December 1968, the expedition discovered 7 new stations with rock art.

88 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Oryx engraved in line. Bubal period. From the nostrils to the base of the tail: 0.23 m.

89 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Elephant engraved in line. Bubal period. From the trunk to the base of the tail: 0.53 m.

90 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Two rhinoceroses engraved in line with a V-shaped cross-section. From the horn on the right to the tail on the left: 0.84 m.

91 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Deer. Ancient painting in the rock shelter "Sous-marin". In addition to the beauty of the work, it is worth noting the presence of this clearly southern herbivore in a place where it no longer occurs. Length: 0.25 m.

92 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Mural depicting a procession of figures painted in red ochre, ranging from 0.10 to 0.20 m in height. The heads, resembling an inverted U or a canine snout, recall those already seen in the Air. One cannot help but think of a ritual dance.

93 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Very beautiful cow from the bovine period. Bicolored, like the Deer-Robert from photo 91. The udders are clearly outlined. Although this piece is on the right, it is on the same line as the previous frieze, making it difficult to associate them in the same style. From the snout to the base of the tail: 0.295 m.

94 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Bubal period. Leaping Dorcas gazelles. Beautiful, deeply engraved drawing on a horizontal slab, to the north of the "Sous-marin". The animal in the center of the photo measures 0.26 m in length.

95 - Enneri Blaka. Site 1. - Rhinoceros from the so-called Bubal period. The document is overlaid with a more recent puncture. From the snout to the end of the tail: 0.36 m.

96 - Enneri Blaka. Site 2. - Drawing of a very decadent ox, based on a photograph by Maximilien Bruggmann. From the tail to the horn tip: 0.53 m.

97 - Enneri Blaka. Site 2. - (original photo) Rhinoceros from the ancient period, engraved with shallow lines. From the tip of the horn to the back of the hind foot: 0.40 m.

98 - Enneri Blaka. Site 2. - Naturalistic elephant, engraved with shallow lines, resembling the style of the previous rhinoceros in the photograph (same artist?). From the end of the trunk to the base of the tail: 0.44 m.

99 - Enneri Blaka. Site 3. - Ox with a "solar disc" between the horns. Figures, giraffes, graffiti... The disc is actually an oval shape, which may refer to a secular ornament. The stippled engravings are late and difficult to classify.

100 - Enneri Blaka. Site 3. - Giraffe from the older layer, engraved with fine lines. From the top of the head to the bottom of the legs: 0.425 m. The firm direction of the lines does not correct the imperfections of the supporting rock.

101 - Enneri Blaka. Site 3. - Elephant engraved on a defective rock. Period of the so-called "Bubale" era. From the base of the hind leg to the end of the tusks: 0.60 m.

102 - Enneri Blaka. Site 3. - Two schematic giraffes with scalariform legs. Compared to the giraffe in photo 101, these engravings appear very decadent. From the tip of the snout (right giraffe) to the base of the tail: 0.315 m.

103 - Enneri Blaka. Site 3. - Period of the "Bubale". A very beautiful giraffe created with lines and internal polishing of the legs. The legs are precise, the curve, and the head well observed. Behind the animal, another smaller giraffe could indicate that the larger one is a nursing female. However, the styles appear different. The engraving of the large giraffe overlaps a small stippled bovine, therefore earlier. From the giraffe’s hooves to the top of its horns: 2.45 m.

104 - Enneri Blaka. Site 4. - Giraffes in a rigid, decadent style. The largest measures 1.05 m in height.

105 - Enneri Blaka. Site 4. - Large naturalistic elephant. Period of the "Bubale". The over-engraving of the three giraffes is much later. Their style is also schematic. From the tips of the elephant's tusks to the end of the tail: 1.80 m long.

Maximilien Bruggmann and Sylvio Acatos taking the inventory of the large elephant at Site 4 of Enneri Blaka.

106 - Enneri Blaka. Site 5. - Typical view of a Neolithic habitat overlooking the valley and its river. This is a rock shelter with dormant grinding stones and traces of sharpening. Ceramic shards are scattered around the shelter. The shelter is 19 m wide, 7 m deep, and the ceiling is 3 m high.

107 - Enneri Blaka. Site 5. - Period of the "Bubale". Small ungulate engraved with deep lines. Note the ends of the legs. This disproportion is found in many regions, especially the Rio de Oro. From the tips of the horns to the hooves: 0.225 m.

108 - Enneri Blaka. Site 5. - Period of the "Bubale". Two very beautiful giraffes, with well-engraved lines emphasizing their elegance. This depiction and the previous one (photo 107) are flat on the floor of the Neolithic shelter. At the top left, sandal prints can be seen, like those found by the thousands across the Sahara, especially in Tiratimine (Hoggar). These are a love wish specific to the Tuareg people. From the giraffe's hooves to the base of its horns: 0.95 m.

109 - Enneri Blaka. Site 5. - Still on the same stone slab of the rock shelter, from the "bubale" period, a schematic rhinoceros that fits well with the local style and the difficulty of properly capturing the anatomy of this animal. The legs also end in a "tapered" shape, which had already struck G.B.M. Flamand in 1921. From the tip of the horn to the back leg: 0.54 m.

110 - Enneri Blaka. Site 7. - Recent pastoral period. On a nearly vertical slab, an extraordinary grouping of cattle led Maximilien Bruggmann, the discoverer of the site, and his team to name it the "Ark of Noah." A mix of bovids, giraffes, hunters, and ungulates can be identified. The estimated number of subjects is 150! Width of the depicted panel: 1.75 m.

111 - Enneri Blaka. Site 7, known as the "Ark of Noah." - Detail of the fresco above: male bovid obtained by pecking, like most of the representations. The tail ends in a "broom." It is preceded by an animal with lyre-shaped horns (bovid?). From the tail to the tips of the horns: 0.91 m in length.

112 - Enneri Blaka. Site 7. - Another detail from the same site where 30 hunters have been identified. The "standing shooter" position of the archers is notable. From the foot of the lower archer to the tip of the upper archer's bow: 0.225 m.

113 - Enneri Blaka. Site 8. - "Bubale" period. The engraving is difficult to interpret due to the arrangement of the hind legs. From the snout to the rump: 0.43 m.

114 - Enneri Blaka. Site 9. - Red painting. Horse under the shelter known as the "Red Horse Shelter." From the rear hoof to the nostrils: 0.40 m.

115 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Paintings from the "round heads" period (?). At the top, two cows with calves, in white. Below, three unidentifiable quadrupeds, one in red ochre, the other in white. The depicted panel is 0.75 m wide.

116 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Engravings by pecking. End of the pastoral period. Giraffes, bovids, ungulates. The depicted panel is 2.20 m wide.

117 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - The shelter, seen from the inside, measures 9.60 meters in width. At the far end, behind the mountains, is the "Submarine of Blaka." On the ceiling, a red/pink elephant can be observed; additionally, one can spot bovids, a mounted animal... Sites 7 and 9 are located on the opposite cliffs.

118 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Near the site, a small hunter created by pecking. Late period. The bow is held in the right hand. On the left elbow, there may be a small shield. See the equid-era figure from Aïr, photograph 23, which carries the same object.

118 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - (original photo) Near the site, a small hunter created by pecking. Late period. The bow is held in the right hand. On the left elbow, there may be a small shield. See the equid-era figure from Aïr, photograph 23, which carries the same object.

119 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Pastoral period (?). This fresco decorates the ceiling of the rock shelter at Site 10. It primarily depicts bovids and human figures. Two of them are mounted on an ox. The width of the depicted ceiling section is 2.05 meters.

120 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Site 10, as seen from Site 7! One can better understand Neolithic socio-geography; the sites are located in cliffs between which vast plains and rivers extend.

121 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - Another view of the ceiling painted in the pastoral period. The presence of a large herd of bovids does not exclude wild animals such as the elephant, which appears here in a red color. The bovids are white. An ox is ridden by a figure, which seems (?) to guide it with a rope. The elephant measures 0.41 meters in length.

122 - Enneri Blaka. Site 10. - A mounted, white ox. The painting style is very homogeneous. Notice the feather on the rider's headdress. From the tip of the tail to the snout: 0.225 meters.

123 - Enneri Blaka. Site 11 (2.7 km south of the "Submarine"). - Fresco of giraffes engraved from the "bubale" period. The coats are depicted using different pecking techniques.

124 - Enneri Blaka. Site 11. - Triangular figure from the Garamantic period. Engraving by pecking. The subject has a graceful posture and measures 0.64 meters from the feet to the tip of the feather on its head.

124 - Enneri Blaka. Site 11. - (original photo) Triangular figure from the Garamantic period. Engraving by pecking. The subject has a graceful posture and measures 0.64 meters from the feet to the tip of the feather on its head.

125 - Enneri Blaka. Site 11. - Garamantic period. Two triangular figures with U-shaped heads. Fine engraving. The right arm of the right figure crosses the left arm of the left figure, which measures 0.225 meters in height.

126 - Enneri Blaka. Site 11. - On top of an engraved giraffe are two (?) unidentified quadrupeds. A man stands at the back and touches the tail of one of them.

127 - Rocky landscape at the confluence of Enneri Blaka (on the left) and Domo (on the right). This location is notably rich in rock engravings from all periods since the Neolithic.

128 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Chariot Era. Chariot drawn by oxen, depicted in the naive technique of the "flat-format." Note the axle, the four-spoked wheels, and the very cramped platform. Width of the panel: 0.69 m.

129 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Chariot Era. The driver wears the tunic tightly belted at the waist, characteristic of the Garamantes. Both wheels have 6 spokes, and the axle is poorly positioned. No platform is visible. From the outside of the right wheel to the outside of the left wheel: 0.38 m.

130 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Garamantic Era (?). Object that is part of a series united by the same appearance. Loincloth (?)

131 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Bubaline Era. Rhino engraved with fine and regular lines. It is preceded by a smaller rhino. At the top right, two hanging parts of “loincloths” (?). Large rhino, from the tip of the tail to the tip of the horn: 0.51 m.

132 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Bubaline Era. Elephant engraved with fine lines. Between its legs is the rhino from photo 131. The fact that the rocks here are flat and provide horizontal surfaces attracted artists who did not hesitate to superimpose their works on those of their predecessors. At the height of the elephant's rump, a vulvar symbol (?). The panel portion measures 2.65 m in length.

133 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Bubaline Era. Extraordinary bovine with oversized horns. Several central parts of loincloths. Vulvar sign, hooves... The surface depicted measures 1.17 m in height.

134 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Bubaline Era. Beautiful cow engraved. The color differences in the coat are represented by lines separating the areas.

135 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Bubaline Era. Engraved elephant. One of the two lines delimiting the back is an abandoned sketch; dotted vulvar sign. Width of the depicted panel: 0.66 m.

136 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - "Diabolo" man from the Garamantic period. He holds a spear in his right hand and a shield in his left hand. The lower part of his tunic is fringed, and his head is adorned with a well-identified feather.

137 - Confluent Blaka-Domo. Site 12. - Confronted rhinoceroses from the Bubaline period. From the tip of one tail to the other: 0.665 m.

Photo Gallery