Tassili N'ajjer

Taasili n'ajjer ( Plateau of the rivers) Is a National Park in the Sahara desert located on a vast plateau in South East Algeria covering an area of over 72,000km 2 . At first glance, its appearance may be as though of a ruined city, featuring over 300 rock arches, dense clusters of eroded sandstone rock pillars, steep cliffs and water pools. Its panorama of geological formations portrays an image of a lunar landscape due to the presence of the ‘rock forests' and the eroded sandstone.

Despite the beauty of the rocks, Tassil n' ajjer is predominantly known for its pre-historic rock art that dates back to the early Neolithic era, a period where the Sahara was a habitable savanna rather than a desert. The earliest art is thought to be about 12,000 years and the majority between 10,000 and 9,000 years. The art consists of paintings and engravings on exposed rock faces. Each work of art falls into a specific chronological sequence representing specific activities done in that period. For example between 12,000 and 7000 years ago, Sahara’s climate was far wetter than today hence conducive for a variety of wild animals that in turn promoted hunting in the area. This explains the paintings of man hunting different animals like antelopes, gazelles and many others.

The rock paintings and carvings offer a fascinating look to the animal migrations, changes in climate and human life in general. Some of these paintings though, portrayed quite controversial images that sparked a number of debates questioning its true meaning. These paintings depicted mysterious creatures which are not related with any found today. Many archeologists and scientists claim this as evidence of the extraterrestrial beings, but without any hard proven facts to support these claims.

Tassili n' ajjjer remains as an exceptional archeological site, providing an exciting experience throughout the place. From the rock arches to the lunar landscape to the rock paintings, all show the richness of the site.