Photo Gallery

A shelter on the edge of a river, the floor of which consists of a soft slab of rock eroded by water and wind. Most of the rock paintings are preserved in the man-sized, blanket-like rock pieces. Detail in the following picture. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - Jabbaren - 1993

Such cliffs were in prehistory, and are even today, preferred places for people looking for a place to live. A settlement at El Beridij is located at the end of the cliff on the right. Algeria - Tadrart - 1993

Chapter 1: AÏR - Niger The Aïr Mountains in Niger are characterised by a varied landscape. There are high mountains, deep gorges, extensive plateaus and rock formations. Some plant species that are relatively rare in the Sahara grow at higher altitudes. There are also rocks and cavities that harbour historical rock paintings and engravings, which are evidence of earlier human life and activities in the region. - In the picture: ‘The dead tree’, which is located in front of the large Arakao dunes on the eastern slope of the Aïr Mountains.

18 - Oued Tafidet (Aïr). - A typical view of this region (landscape veiled by suspended sand in the air).

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.

Chapter 3: FEZZAN - Libya The Fezzan is located in south-west Libya. Important archaeological sites can be found in Wadi Mathendous on the edge of Erg Murzurk and in the Tadrart Acacous Mountains. The picture shows a typical desert landscape from this region. The desert itself is characterised by mountains, rocks, sand and dunes. There are rock monuments comparable to those in the Arches National Park in the United States.

In the Tadrart Acacous Mountains there are caves in which you can find prehistoric engravings of elephants and water buffaloes from around 4000 BC. They are similar to those in the Algerian Tassili Mountains. The paintings document periods in which the region was considerably wetter and therefore offered a much more fertile landscape. In the Messak Plateau in south-west Libya, close to the borders with Algeria and Niger, some of the oldest rock paintings in the world can be found in the Wadi Mathendous. A veritable prehistoric menagerie is carved into the rock faces of the dried-up riverbed, including life-size elephants, giraffes and crocodiles. Some figures are depicted alone, others in intricate compositions fighting with other animals or humans. One of the more famous scenes from the Wadi Mathendous petroglyphs are the fighting cats.

205 - Tadrart Acacous. Ouan Amil. - Typical landscape of Acacous with two large, deep shelters. One must imagine the flowing water, grass, trees, people, and their cattle to bring this place to life. We will travel through this impressive landscape over the next few photos.

Chapter 5: TADRART - Algeria This rock formation, the so-called ‘Cathedral’ of Tamesguida, is located in the Algerian Tadrart. The rocks were formed by the constant wind.

The Tassili Tadrart (also known as the Red Tadrart) is the southern extension of the Tadrart Acacus. It is located in the south-east of Algeria, bordering Libya to the east and the Niger to the south. The mountain range is criss-crossed by west-east orientated, gorge-like wadis, of which In Djaren is the largest. The Tassili Tadrart has magnificent rock paintings that cover a long chronological span from the early Neolithic to modern times. Walls and overhangs at the bottom of the wadis are littered with rock paintings and rock engravings that document the climate change of the area from a savannah 10,000 years ago to a desert 5,000 years ago. The rock art changed over time from wild fauna such as elephants, rhinos, giraffes, antelopes, wild cattle to domesticated animals such as sheep, horses and finally camels.

286 - El Beridj (Tadrart). - The cliffs have been, in prehistory and even up to today, favored places by humans seeking a habitat. One site of El Beridj is located at the end of the rocky spur to the right. Photos 287 and 288.

306 - ln Djaren. - The shelter of the painted giraffe. Photo 305.

436 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – On the edge of a reg, a shelter whose background is formed by the edge of a soft rock attacked by water and wind erosion. It is the rock portions that form a ceiling at head height that have preserved the most rock paintings.

441 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - This excellent photo, taken by the competent and sharp eye of Maximilien Bruggmann, shows us where the people whose masterpieces we are detailing lived. Of course, one must also add the life provided by water: humans, as well as animals and plants. This is how Jabbaren was at the time.

527 - Séfar (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – On the edge of the Ouad Séfar, the shelter "of the Amazons" (H. Lhote).

528 - Séfar (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – Here we see goats or sheep attached "to a rope". This gives them an astonishing sense of order. Below, there is a red structure extended downward by V-shaped lines. We also see archers sketched with painted lines, as well as figures in a red structure, bovids, and later archers treated in dark gray. Diameter of the circle: 0.25 m.

Chapter 7: TIBESTI – Chad The Tibesti is a volcanic mountain range in Chad and is also the highest mountain range in the Sahara. Its northern foothills extend several hundred kilometres into the territory of Libya. It rises on the northern edge of the Chad Basin and emerges from the flat desert landscape with several strata. The high mountains are very rugged in places and feature numerous volcanic craters and cinder cones. The Tibesti is one of the most isolated regions on earth and is populated by the Tubu. The regional administrative centre is the town of Bardaï with around 1500 inhabitants. Here we can see an old lava field with the Oudingueur volcano in the background.