Laas Gaal
Laas Geel Laas Gaal or is a small rocky massif in Hargeisa in northern Somalia ( Somaliland ), which is known for its caves discovered in cave paintings.
The caves are home to some of the earliest and best preserved known art in the Horn of Africa and on the African continent as a whole. Dating proposals vary between 4000 BC and 3000 BC.
Geography and environment
It is a small rocky cliff of red granite, which is in the field of settlement of nomads in Dubato (alternative spelling Dhubbato ) northeast of Hargeysa. The rock rises out of a plateau, graze their animals on the Somali nomads and wild antelopes roam the landscape. At its base flow together two seasonal rivers ( wadis ), under which the water table is also near the surface. Because of these aquifers of rock has its name, which means " watering hole for camels ." The rock has some 20 caves and niches, about ten of which are provided with Neolithic rock drawings.
Discovery
The local nomads used the caves for shelter when it rains, and knew of the paintings, but they noticed hardly.
In November and December 2002 a group of French researchers was headed by Xavier Goodheart in northern Somalia ( Somaliland ) go to search for traces from the period 5000-2000 BC, from the time when production economy in this part of the horn of Africa came up. On December 4, reported residents of the small village Daarbudhuq (alternative spelling: Dacarbudhug ) on the road between Hargeisa and Berbera, the researchers Laas Geel on back. Due to lack of time they could first examine briefly the cave paintings. In November 2003, they examined it in more detail on another expedition.
The cave paintings
The petroglyphs are probably the best preserved of Africa. They show mainly cows and humans. Most of the illustrations are multicolored, the occurring colors are red ocher, white, yellow ocher and black.
The necks of the cows are provided with a kind of plastron, which could be a ceremonial jewelry or even a symbolic representation. Their heads seem highly schematized. The udder, however, are clearly imaged each with four teats, which probably indicates an important role of milk in the diet of the people of that time. In contrast to contemporary African cattle they have no cusps. The cow pictures are usually about 40-50 cm long and 20-30 cm high.
People are depicted with wide, bekleidetem upper body and arms outstretched and significantly smaller than the cows; may they worship the cows.
In addition, a domestic dog, other Canidae and a giraffe are shown, all also less than the cows. Some of the pictures are obviously painted over other images.
Based on laboratory analysis of excavated nearby bone and charcoal paintings have been dated to the period 3500-3000 BC.
Development since the discovery
Since its scientific discovery, the cave paintings of Laas Geel a small but growing number of visitors are exposed. It was also supported by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC ), a modest tourist infrastructure built. The authorities of Somaliland Laas Geel propagate as " national heritage " and a tourist attraction. Thus, they also want to take advantage of the attention for the cave paintings to advance their efforts to recognize the independence of Somaliland.
The World Monuments Fund took Laas Geel on its list of the 100 most endangered cultural monuments.
2007, another cave paintings were discovered in Dhambalin.