Wadi Takdhalt

Prehistoric Caves From Acacus.

Like many other ancient caves discovered in Acacus and Fezzan, this cave contains several prehistoric paintings and images of people, animals, cattle and graffiti. Some of the floors of these caves also hide some prehistoric artifacts, like Mori's mummy, which he found buried in one of the caves in nearby Wan Mahugag. The caves come in different sizes and shapes, but this one, well hidden in the corner, is about ten meters long (10 m) and three meters high (3m). The painted images on the entrance to the cave could have several purposes, including to indicate ownership, as to tell passers-by that this cave is inhabited and stay away; and also for magical protection, as this practice seems to have survived to the present day in North Africa, where most old Berber houses and rooms have images of hands, moons, horns and eyes painted just above the door, with red henna or white paint, and even built with mud, as in the following photo from Nalut:

Left: an old door from the Castle of Nalut (the Berber Granary); right: an entrance to a prehistoric cave.

These figures are often referred to as "Bird-Men" or "birdmen", from the fact that their arms resemble two wings or birds in flight. They are very stylised and abstract human figures with the so called stick-heads and fat short legs. The symbolism behind these images is not known.

Dancing women.

Paintings of women in triangular forms: a triangle pointing down for the shoulders
and another one pointing up for the lower part of the body.

An abstract and stylised drawing of a camel with some people on its back.

Drawings of the Berber or Tuareg script of Tifinagh.

The Berber alphabet or script: red paint on rocks.

A close up of an ancient engraving of Wadi Tashwinat map, in which the lines represent valleys and the holes water wells. To see the full map please see see our Wadi Tashwinat gallery.