Tassili N'ajjer (Plateau rivers) is a mountain range located Illizi state in the south-east of Algeria. A plateau barren gravel rise by more than 2000 m above sea level width from 50 to 60 km and a length of 800 km area of the problem of an estimated 12,000 km 2, the highest mountain which Adrar Ofaw rises to 2,158 meters on each area rises from the sand rocky tops are very corroded know Forests rock like the ruins of ancient cities abandoned by time and sandstorms.
Plates Tassili rock or inscriptions rocky Tassili Btasala n'Ajjer (Algeria) dating to around 9 to 10 thousand years any Neolithic and some Mayenne up 20,000 years and even 30,000 years !!! and much like the rocky southwestern Algerian inscriptions or as so-called South Wahrani and Fezzan (Libya), some of these charges in Jabaarn Illizi Province old up to thirty thousand a year.
Having discovered the Hoggar and Tassili drawings the years 1956-1957, Henry Lott began in 1959 inventory Petroglyphs valley jars discovered in 1932.
The art of prehistoric
Was found WORKS OF ART forms of animals in the Tassili scope also notes plates prehistoric rocks and other ancient archaeological sites, dating to the Neolithic period when the local climate was much more humid with the presence of the savannah instead of Asahra.ottnoa the pictures in the Photo operations cows graze amid huge meadows, and pictures of horses, and inscriptions of the rivers and lush gardens, and wild animals, and religious ceremonies, and some of the old gods. Access to was the discovery of these caves difficult and too late, as a result of its location in the heart of "Jabarin" barren desert area where an extremely hot climate.
Geology
Tassili caves consist of a group of volcanic rock formations and exotic sandy shape, which resembles the ruins and ruins, known as the "stone forest". There are caves above the surrounding high plateau deep cliff in an area located by a large proportion of the moving sand dunes. The walls of these caves contain a series of strange inscriptions, which represents the full life of an ancient civilization. An analysis of these images Experts discovered that date back to 30 thousand years.
Historical periods
During the wet period from the Neolithic period (between 9000 and 2500 BC), the Sahara covered with grass and serve as endemic humans and animals such as ostriches, giraffes, elephants and antelopes. The abundance of water and some of the big lakes there are also helped to encourage fish life, crocodiles and hippopotamus. Fassad these favorable conditions prairie hunters and later herdsmen to build camps and housing in various hills and high desert land fertile.
By 2500 BC, the desert, with the exception of the Nile River, the land has become barren no longer fit that is inhabited by human beings. But that last remained fertile through drawings and engravings left by residents reflected on the rocks across parts of the desert. For those rocks beautiful drawings of human forms became visible reminder of the beliefs and practices of the ancient inhabitants of North Africa during periods of adaptation to the changing environment and the acquisition of new tools and habits. More than half of engraved art on desert rocks found in the Tassili N'ajjer area ( "Easy numerous valleys," the language of the Tuareg) southeast of Algiers. There are other sites in the Libyan desert and northern Niger. It has been identified, more than 30 thousand sites so far. And it became specify the date of those drawings and engravings hotly debated among scientists
Although they generally agree that that era can be divided into four main periods in a row based on the style and content of graphics:
Bygone era (hunting stage before 5000 BC):
Simulator embody the inscriptions on the stones of the nature of the massive shapes of animals that have been extinct in that era, including antelopes, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, antelopes and hippopotamus. And there are hardly any of ICON embodiment of pets, which may mean that the population at that time has earned a livelihood hunting large animals. The show forms of men armed with sticks, spears, axes and bows. The best models for this era in the Valley of Engravings Djerat in Tassili N'ajjer, and giraffes in the Air region of Niger and some inscriptions in Almsak area of Quebec.
Era herders 4500 to 2500 BC:
Agree this era and the arrival of the herds to North Africa between 4500 and 4000 BC. Since the majority of engravings and drawings date back to this era. And show some of the scenes people who are too busy to spend their daily business while the other models embody tuned herds of animals, sheep, goats and sometimes showing shepherds near Qtaanhm.hzh graphics her mien more beautiful thanks to the use of the color red clay and white pigments. It is believed that the painters were nomadic herders looked like his style of living today Nuba tribes in Sudan and tribes Fula in Niger. There Alibovadah majority of the graphics in the Tassili and Acacus Mountains in Libya.
The era of horses (about 1200 BC):
Embody the graphics of this era human beings armed with small arms and horse-drawn carriages. It is believed that the horse had begun to use in the desert approximately 1200 BC. The quality of the graphics are insignificant compared with the previous era where humans are considered as forms look slimmer and take the form of sand hours.
Camels era (1200 BC):
By this date, has the process of desertification in North Africa was replaced for a horse camel, "a friend of the Desert" in the art of painting on the rocks and in the lives of the people.
Underwent division of the history of North Africa this scrutiny by scientists who question the credibility of the chronology at the level of the desert as a whole. Which hinders the enormous size of the Sahara and political complexities of the region to conduct a study more specific focus on regional diversity. That's the art of engraving remains on the rocks generally lacks scope of research and so is not well understood.
The Western Sahara to North Africa Mbba of the River Nile by tens of thousands of years, as some scholars say Mstdelan on the enormous amount of groundwater and lakes located by
Classified by UNESCO
In 1982 UNESCO introduced the site on the World Heritage List in 1986 and protected human biosphere rare animals in the way of extinction have found a haven in the region Kalloroah (Barbary sheep), several species of deer, leopards and other animals. After the designated UNESCO within the national historical heritage in July 1972, was listed Tassili N'ajjer legacy of world cultural heritage in 1982, thanks to the cultural riches and received recognition in the network of the UNESCO program Man and the Biosphere area reserve humane and vital area, while the inclusion of Lake Ahrar 2001 moist zone with global importance within the list of the international Ramsar Convention on wetlands. Site constitutes the largest museum rocky charges of first instance in all the globe have been counted more than 30,000 fee describe religious rituals and daily life of the Lansan my father lived in these areas during prehistory. Which alerts us and makes us imagine how this arid regions sterile teeming with greenery and life
Tassili and science fiction
There are some graphics that appear strange beings are not human nor animal, fueled by a set of ideas about the presence of extraterrestrials and the other coming from the future as we can see on the following graphics.
French Video Peintures rupestres du Tassili N'Ajjer, in Algérie
Excerpt from documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Yazid Tizi, "Algeria from above".
Written by Michael Pitiot and Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
Written by Michael Pitiot and Yann Arthus-Bertrand.