463

Site
Site name
09/063
Description

A rock shelter located along the Wadi Ti-n-Lalan, bordering the south-western edge of the etaghas. Six surfaces with a total of nineteen panels include pecked, carved, and pecked, carved Tifinagh and Arabic inscriptions, and figurative petroglyphs. The latter comprise Pastoral, Camel, and Modern Camel motifs. Surface 1 corresponds to the shelter’s inner wall where Tifinagh inscriptions are pecked and carved on five small panels. Surface 2 corresponds to the shelter’s external right corner, where there are two panels with Tifinagh inscriptions. Surface 3 matches with the external right wall and has two panels: Panel 1 contains only Tifinagh, while Panel 2 shows a dense concentration of Tifinagh and figurative representations. A few Arabic inscriptions are also visible at the top of the surface. The figurative petroglyphs represent a couple of camels (one led by a stylized human) and an isolated ostrich. On the right, a fully pecked probable hunting scene contains a horseman holding an elongated object (a lance or spear) chasing an animal (possibly a gazelle) with two dogs. A single camel was pecked on the right end side of the panel. Surface 4 corresponds to the lower part of the wall to the right of Surface 3 and includes two panels with a few Tifinagh inscriptions. Surface 5, to the right of the previous one, contains four panels of Tifinagh inscriptions and a few indeterminate pecked animals on Panel 2. These probably represent two camels and a bovid (?). The last surface (Surface 6) corresponds to the cliff’s edge, where four additional panels of pecked Tifinagh inscriptions are visible. Panel 2 (Surface 6) includes intricately layered figurative petroglyphs which were carved, pecked, or carved and then repeatedly pecked over the time. Layer 1 contains a couple of large animals: an ostrich and a giraffe. These likely date to the Pastoral period and were modified in more recent times. Layer 2 seems to include a second, more schematic giraffe, pecked behind the larger one. Layer 3 seems to contain a fully pecked hunting scene: a human on the left, represented with raised arms and holding two sticks follows two dogs chasing a prey (a gazelle?). A horseman in a similar style was pecked on the upper part of this scene. This third layer also contains several Tifinagh inscriptions. Layer 4 includes a finely carved horseman holding an elongated object, possibly a spear. It is worth noting that a probable imitation of the finely carved horseman was carved and pecked on the surface’s last panel (Surface 6 – Panel 4).