Wadi Mathendous

Wadi Mathendous runs through the Messak Settafet plateau in the Fezzan and its rocks carry engravings of exceptional quality: elephants, giraffe, rhinoceros, crocodile and cattle, cut into the dark stone thousands of years ago when the Sahara was grassland, and among them a pair of large feline figures facing each other that has become the best known image of Saharan rock art. Thousands of engravings are recorded along the wadi.

The main sights

• The fighting cats - the pair of large feline figures the site is known for.
• The savanna animals - elephants, giraffe and rhinoceros cut into the rock.
• The dark stone - the varnished surfaces the engravings were pecked into.
• The scale - thousands of engravings recorded along the wadi.

When to go

November to March is the workable season. Summer heat in the Fezzan is extreme. Low sun in morning and evening shows the engravings best.

What to expect

Access requires a four-wheel drive expedition with a guide who knows the wadi. Some panels have been damaged by vehicles and by extraction activity in the region. Travel in Libya requires arrangements through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Germa is north, and the Idehan Murzuq is southeast.

Key facts