Niger Rock Art Gallery

Niger is geographically diverse, having both the Sahel (savannah) and the Sahara (desert). The majority of the country’s rock art – made up predominantly of engravings – is located in the northern desert area, in and around the Aïr Mountains, where some of the art is thought to be several thousand years old. The Djado Plateau in the north-east is also rich in art that includes both paintings and engravings. One of the most celebrated sites of rock engraving is at a place called Dabous, to the west of the mountains. Here, two life-size giraffe were carved on the top of an outcrop, and may be up to 6,000 years old. Other notable areas for engravings are Iwellene in the northern Aïr Mountains, where some of the art is thought to be several thousand years old, as well the sites of Tanakom and Tagueit in the south-eastern Aïr Mountains, where engravings are located on the sides of two wadis (dry riverbeds).