Rock Art Sites of Somaliland, Somalia

In September 2013, CyArk digitally documented Laas Geel, Dhagah Nabi Galay and Dhagah Kureh rock shelters using laser scanning and photogrammetry.  The project was conducted in partnership with the Horn Heritage Charity, a nongovernmental organization that works to protect and promote the archaeological heritage of the Horn of Africa and ICCROM, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property.  CyArk also provided a training workshop to  heritage professionals from Somaliland. The expedition was made possible through a generous donation from the Government of Switzerland.

The complex cave and rock shelters of Laas Geel, Dhagah Kureh, and Dhagah Nabi Galay lie just 30-45 minutes outside of Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic and autonomous region of Somalia. Exhibiting outstanding Neolithic rock art, the sites’ cave paintings are considered to be some of the best preserved rock paintings in all of Africa. The images provide valuable information about some of the earliest pastoralists living in this region. The paintings, dated to the third and second millennia BC, depict the herding of humpless cows, sheep and goats, as well as the hunting of antelopes, giraffes, and other wild animals.

The Laas Geel shelters feature poly chrome painted panels that are considered to be some of the oldest known rock art in the Horn of Africa. The scenes depict human figures and animals painted in bright reds, whites, yellows, and sometimes black. In many cases the human figures are shown with arms outstretched in postures that demonstrate reverence and perhaps even worship which may indicate the important status ascribed to cattle in this pastoral culture.