Rupestral engravings of the area of Tiaret

The rupestral engravings of the area of Tiaret (Algeria) are prehistoric engravings of Neolithic age of the South Oran board. With the length of the Saharian Atlas they make following those, in the west, of the areas of Figuig, Ain Sefra, El-Bayadh and Aflou. Comparable engravings were described, more in the east around Djelfa and in the constantinois.

Localizations and descriptions

According to a short article of Malika Boutira, attached research, published in the national daily newspaper “El Moudjahid” towards end of the year 70, they “can compete with best traditional works of the South-Oranian”. The chart united with the article indicates, of west in is, seven stations, all located at the north of the town of Tiaret: “Ain Ben Krima”, “Azouana Wadi”, “Seffalou Wadi”, “Beautiful Detiar Haâdi”, “Kef Dahmani”, “Kef Bou Beker” and “Kef Smaar”. The article insists more particularly on three sites.

Khallout er Rhalem is located on Right Bank of “Chabet Tarhoum”. On a rock, known under the name of “Rock of Blood”, are engraved almost in life size two bubales, strongly faded.

Wadi Seffalou , to approximately 6 km in the west of Guertoufa, is a site easily accessible by the track suitable for motor vehicles which of Ain Keda leads to the forest house of Seffalou, engravings being with 1500 meters. Before arriving at the principal group being reproduced, on a large isolated block, a scene of hunting, small natural shelters in sandstone cliffs located on Right Bank of the wadi present representations zoomorphes and anthropomorphic like some libyco-Berber drawings.

Kef Bou Beker , to 4 km in the north of Dahmouni, is an important station of engravings naturalists. Several units spread out in cliffs on a distance of approximately 700 meters. The principal group is a panel of a score of meters length on a height of almost two meters. Among the representations which are superimposed and tangled up one distinguishes in particular one bovidé, an antelope, rhinoceros a 3 meters length, ostriches whose drawing is raised of red blood stone painting, a bubale and characters human.

Belonging to the whole of the South-Oranian, it would be possible to analyze these engravings starting from the assumptions and of classification developed by Henri Lhote in " Rupestral engravings of the South-oranais" published in 1970 in the series of the “Memories of the Research center anthropological prehistoric and ethnographic “(CRAPE) directed to Algiers by Mouloud Mammeri (graphic Arts and trades, Paris, 210 pages and reproductions photographic).

Selective bibliography

  • Bayle of Hermens (R.), rupestral engravings of the Seffalou wadi. Area of Tiaret. Departure. of Oran , in “Libyca”, T. III, Algiers, 1955 (pp. 327-343).
  • Cadenat (P.), rupestral engravings of the surroundings of Tiaret (Departure. of Oran) , in “Acts of the Panafrican Congress of Prehistory, IIe session, Algiers (1952), 1955 (pp. 701-713).
  • Cadenat (P.), the prehistoric rupestral art of the department of Tiaret (Algeria) , in “Bull. Co. Studies and Préhist Research. and Inst. Practical of Prehistory”, Eyzies, 1964 (18 pages).
  • Vaufrey (Raymond), Prehistory of Africa, volume II, In the north and the east of the large forest , Tunis, Service of the Publications and exchanges of the University of Tunis, 1969 (372 p.), p. 149.
  • Lhote (Henri), rupestral Engravings of the South-Oranian , Arts and trades graphic, Paris, 1970.
  • Aumassip (Ginette), Trésors of the Atlas , Algiers, National company of the book, 1986 (126 pages).

Internal bonds

Engravings of the South-Oranian

Other comparable whole of engravings

Other internal bonds

External bonds

  • Algeria and Libya, sanctuaries of Saharan rupestral art by Yves Gauthier, Research director at CNRS.
  • Site of Jean-Loïc Quellec, with a great number of articles on Saharan rupestral art

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