Sefar Rock Art

Sefar is a maze of eroded sandstone on the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau, a natural city of pillars, corridors and shelters, and its rock faces carry one of the densest concentrations of prehistoric painting known anywhere: thousands of figures spanning several periods, from large enigmatic forms of the earliest phase, including the figure usually called the great god of Sefar, through hunting and dancing scenes to herds of cattle from the time when this desert carried grass and water. Reaching it means climbing the escarpment from Djanet and walking for days with guides and donkeys, camping on the plateau. The Tassili was inscribed as World Heritage in 1982.

History

The Tassili plateau, where Sefar lies, was used mainly in the Neolithic by herders moving with the seasons: the highlands show occupation from about 5500 to 1500 BCE, and the rock shelters are strewn with pottery, arrowheads, grinders, beads and jewellery. Europeans have studied Algerian rock art since 1863, but the wider world came to know the Tassili through sketches made by French legionnaires, above all Lieutenant Charles Brenans in the 1930s. The archaeologist Henri Lhote, who came with him, returned on several expeditions between 1956 and 1970 - expeditions since heavily criticised, as his team was accused of faking images and of damaging paintings while brightening them for tracing and photography, fading the original colours beyond repair. The Tassili n'Ajjer was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1982 (Wikipedia, Tassili n'Ajjer).

What's there

• Thousands of painted figures - several prehistoric periods on one plateau.
• The great god of Sefar - the large early figure the site is known for.
• Cattle herding scenes - evidence of a wetter Sahara.
• The eroded sandstone maze - pillars and corridors of the plateau.

When to go

November to March; the plateau is cold at night and impossible in summer heat. Four to six days for the round trip. Licensed guides, permits and pack animals are compulsory.

Good to know

This is a serious trek at altitude with everything carried, no facilities and no rescue. Paintings are extremely fragile and have been damaged by people wetting them for photographs; never touch or wet them. Permits take time to arrange through an agency.

Nearby

Djanet is west below the escarpment; the Tadrart lies south.