The Lost World of Ennedi

Lying unappreciated in the northeastern corner of Chad, the cliffs of Ennedi hide art that is thousands of years old.  Natural wonders of the Sahara, the sandstone rock formations make Ennedi a popular site for the more extreme categories of rock climbing.  Some refer to the area as Sahara's Secret Garden. [1] One would think that the existence of such a tourist site would benefit the poor country of Chad, but it is Ennedi's location and nature which makes it difficult to access.  The Saharan paradise is four days from the capital, N'djamena, and its narrow, barren gorges only admit camels... or 4x4 vehicles. [2] Political unrest does not help, either. [3] 

A trip is well worth it - after touring the mammoth natural arches for four hours, one can finally see the carvings left behind by prehistoric peoples who lived in the area thousands of years ago.  According to secular scientists, they can be traced back to 12,000 BC. [4] The carvings are known universally as petrogyphs.  Usually, these carvings are of animals and people, but more abstract designs have been found as well. [5] They could have been carved for cultural or religious reasons, or simply as an expression of art. [6] Petroglyphs have the ability to tell us what life was like way back when the artists carved them.  They are transmitters from a different world.  For instance, the historians who are studying the more well-known petroglyphs in Akakus, Liberia, are able to trace cultural and natural changes through the images of giraffes, elephants, ostriches, camels, horses, and cultural events. [7] Some even show people playing music and dancing. [8] The unappreciated Ennedi petroglyphs lack hospitable conditions for these historians.

Modern day camel herds in the gullies of Ennedi.

Camel of the ancient world.

According to the petroglyphs, the people living in Ennedi kept herds of camels, cattle, and goats. [9] Livestock was their version of status and wealth. [10] Early pictures show people caring for livestock - even milking. [11] People are shown walking or running with bows and arrows. [12] Men stand outfitted in hunting gear.  As time continued, the people of the Iron Age found it necessary to protect their living wealth.  Petroglyphs depict people with lances and shields standing guard around their herds. [13] It seems that their worlds began to revolve around their livestock, which became more colorful and individualized. [14] Horses were brought to the area 2,000 years ago, and their presence was also acknowledged in the carvings. [15] 

Tamed livestock were not the only 
inhabitants of Ennedi

But how did these carvings come to be in the middle of the Sahara?  Where are the grasses that the cattle fed on?  These questions are answered by climate change.  There are fossils found in sediments surrounding Lake Chad which show traces off insects, algae, and other fossils. [16]  It is believed that the Chadian Sahara was once a green savanna or tropical area.  [17]

The carvings are beautiful - thousands of years of Chadian history is lost somewhere in Ennedi.  There is no way to know if all of the petroglyphs have been documented.  Their historic significance is unappreciated in a country so plagued by poverty.

Cattle, horses, and camels.

At top: armed men guarding cattle.  Left: painted cattle.  Right: man with bull.

[1] "Ennedi Plateau - Sahara's Secret Garden", http://thenatureoftheworlds.blogspot.com/2012/12/ennedi-plateau-saharas-secret-garden.html.

[2] "Ennedi Plateau - Sahara's Secret Garden", http://thenatureoftheworlds.blogspot.com/2012/12/ennedi-plateau-saharas-secret-garden.html.

[3] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[4] "Petroglyph", http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Petroglyph.

[5] "Petroglyph", http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Petroglyph.

[6] "Petroglyph", http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Petroglyph.

[7] "Petroglyph", http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Petroglyph.

[8] "Petroglyph", http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Petroglyph.

[9] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[10] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[11] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[12] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[13] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[14] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.

[15] "Rock Art in African Highlands, Ennedi Highlands, Chad - Artists and Herders in a Lifeworld on the Margins", http://www.academia.edu/1580718/Rock_art_in_African_Highlands_Ennedi_Highlands_Chad_Artists_and_Herders_in_a_Lifeworld_on_the_Margins.
[16] "Once Lush Sahara Dried Up Over Millenia, Study Says", http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080508-green-sahara.html
[17] "Once Lush Sahara Dried Up Over Millenia, Study Says", http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/05/080508-green-sahara.html