| Tassili n'Ajjer* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Algeria |
| Type | Mixed |
| Criteria | i, iii, vii, viii |
| Reference | 179 |
| Region† | Arab States |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1982 (6th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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| Tassili n'Ajjer National Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category II (National Park) | |
 |
|
| Location | Tamanrasset Province, Algeria |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 72,000 km² |
| Established | 1972 |
The Tassili n'Ajjer or "Plateau of the Rivers" in Tamazight is a mountain range in the Sahara desert in southeast Algeria, North Africa. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution Tamanrasset or Tamanghasset ( Arabic: ولاية تمنراست, Berber Tamenγest) is the largest province in Algeria. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Nomenclature The term Berber has been used in Europe since at least the 17th century and is still used today A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys The Sahara (الصحراء الكبرى aṣ-ṣaḥrā´ al-kubra, "The Great Desert" is the world's largest hot Desert and the world's second largest A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's It extends about 500 km from east-south-east to , and the highest point is Adrar Afao, 2158 m, at . The nearest town is Djanet, about 10 km southwest of the range. Djanet (جانيت is an Oasis city in southeast Algeria. It is located in Illizi Province, 412 Kilometers from Illizi
Much of the range, including the cypresses and archaeological sites (see below), is protected in a National park, Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site, named the Tassili n'Ajjer National Park. A national park is a reserve of land usually declared and owned by a national Government, protected from most Human development and pollution A biosphere reserve is an international Conservation designation given by UNESCO under its Programme on A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex
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Geology
The range is composed largely of sandstone. Sandstone is a Sedimentary rock composed mainly of Sand -size Mineral or rock grains. Erosion in the area has resulted in nearly 300 natural rock arches being formed, along with many other spectacular landforms. "Natural Bridges" redirects here for the US National Monument see Natural Bridges National Monument.
Ecology
Because of the altitude and the water-holding properties of the sandstone, the vegetation is somewhat richer than the surrounding desert; it includes a very scattered woodland of the endangered endemic species Saharan Cypress and Saharan Myrtle in the higher eastern half of the range. Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region it refers to the Ground cover provided by plants An endangered species is a population of an organism which is at risk of becoming Extinct because it is either few in numbers or threatened by changing environmental or predation Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere Cupressus dupreziana, the Saharan Cypress, is a very rare coniferous Tree native to the Tassili n'Ajjer mountains in the central The Myrtle ( Myrtus) is a genus of one or two species of Flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north
The ecology of the Tassili n'Ajjer is more fully described in the article West Saharan montane xeric woodlands, the ecoregion to which this area belongs. The West Saharan montane xeric woodlands is an Ecoregion that extends across several highland regions in the Sahara. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " The literal English translation of Tassili n'Ajjer is 'Plateau of the rivers' referring to a time when the climate was repeatedly far more wet than today. The Sahara Pump Theory explains how flora and fauna left Africa to penetrate the Middle East and beyond to Europe and Asia
Prehistoric art
The range is also noted for its prehistoric rock paintings and other ancient archaeological sites, dating from neolithic times when the local climate was much moister, with savannah rather than desert. Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" Rock art is a term in Archaeology for any man-made markings made on natural stone Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. The art depicts herds of cattle, large wild animals including crocodiles, and human activities such as hunting and dancing. The art has strong stylistic links to the pre-Nguni Art of South Africa and the region, executed in caves by the San Peoples before the year 1200 CE. Art of South Africa is a term used to denote creative output by human beings from South Africa
Further reading
- Bahn P -G (1998) The Cambridge illustrated history of prehistoric art. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
- Bradley R (2000) An archaeology of natural places. London, Routledge.
- Bruce-Lockhart J and Wright J (2000) Difficult and dangerous roads: Hugh Clapperton's travels in the Sahara and Fezzan 1822-1825.
- Chippendale C and Tacon S -C (eds) (1998) The archaeology of rock art. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
- Coulson D and Campbell A (2001) African rock art. Paintings and engravings on stone. New York, Harry N Abrams.
- Van Albada A. &A. -M. (2000): La Montagne des Hommes-Chiens. Art rupestre du Messak lybien. Paris, Seuil.
- Clottes J. (2002): World Rock Art. Los Angeles, The Getty Publications.
- Lhote, H (1959) The search for the Tassili frescoes: the rock paintings of the Sahara. London.
- Le Quellec J -L (1998) Art rupestre et prehistoire du Sahara. Le Messak libyen. Paris, Editions Payot et Rivages, Biblioteque Scientifique Payot.
- Mattingly D (ed) (forthcoming) The archaeology of the Fezzan.
- Muzzolini A (1997) Saharan rock art. In Vogel J O (ed) Encyclopedia of Precolonial Africa. Walnut Creek: 347-353.
- Whitley D S (ed) (2001) Handbook of rock art research. New York, Altamira Press.
- Saharan Rock Art, Archaeology of Tassilian Pastoralist Icongraphy, by Augustin F. C. Holl (2004)
- Tassili n'Ajjer: Art rupestre du Sahara préhistorique, by Jean-Dominique Lajoux (1977)
- The Search for the Tassili Frescoes: The story of the prehistoric rock-paintings of the Sahara, by Henri Lhote (1959, 1973)
External links
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre
- The natural arches of the Tassili n'Ajjer
- Tassili n'Ajjer - fjexpeditions.com
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