Cave galleries in Somaliland

Published April 26, 2011
A Somali soldier sits below a primitive rock painting, one of a galaxy of colourful animal and human sketches to adorn the caves in the rocky hills of this arid wilderness in northern Somalia, in Laas Geel, home to Africa's earliest known and most pristine rock art.
A Somali soldier sits below a primitive rock painting, one of a galaxy of colourful animal and human sketches to adorn the caves in the rocky hills of this arid wilderness in northern Somalia, in Laas Geel, home to Africa's earliest known and most pristine rock art.
A Somalian archaeologist points to a rock painting.
A Somalian archaeologist points to a rock painting.
A Somalian archaeologist points to the painting.
A Somalian archaeologist points to the painting.
A Somalian archaeologist crouching looking at a painting.
A Somalian archaeologist crouching looking at a painting.
An ancient rock painting.
An ancient rock painting.
A Somali soldier walking by an ancient rock painting.
A Somali soldier walking by an ancient rock painting.

In ten caves in Laas Geel, Somali for “camel watering hole”, outside Hargeisa, the capital of Somalia's self-declared Somaliland state, vivid depictions afford a peek at a pastoralist history dating back some 5,000 years or more. The paintings were discovered in 2002 by a French archeology team and have since been protected to stem looting after their value became apparent to locals who previously feared they were the work of evil spirits.The cave galleries provide a peek into the little known history of this part of the world, which in recent times has mostly been famous for bloody conflicts and instability. - Photos by AFP.

Opinion

A state of chaos

A state of chaos

The establishment’s increasingly intrusive role has further diminished the credibility of the political dispensation.

Editorial

Bulldozed bill
Updated 22 May, 2024

Bulldozed bill

Where once the party was championing the people and their voices, it is now devising new means to silence them.
Out of the abyss
22 May, 2024

Out of the abyss

ENFORCED disappearances remain a persistent blight on fundamental human rights in the country. Recent exchanges...
Holding Israel accountable
22 May, 2024

Holding Israel accountable

ALTHOUGH the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor wants arrest warrants to be issued for Israel’s prime...
Iranian tragedy
Updated 21 May, 2024

Iranian tragedy

Due to Iran’s regional and geopolitical influence, the world will be watching the power transition carefully.
Circular debt woes
21 May, 2024

Circular debt woes

THE alleged corruption and ineptitude of the country’s power bureaucracy is proving very costly. New official data...
Reproductive health
21 May, 2024

Reproductive health

IT is naïve to imagine that reproductive healthcare counts in Pakistan, where women from low-income groups and ...