Niger - Aïr – Site Tagueït-up - Fresco of carved giraffes

Rock site of Tagueït - Was the Neolithic woman interested in fashion? At least that is what this image, set in stone by man long ago, seems to show. Height of the figure: 1.10 meters from the top of the hair to the base of the feet. - Niger / Eastern Aïr / Tagueït Site / 1992

Tagueït prehistoric site: Was this Neolithic woman interested in fashion?

Herds of giraffes engraved on the rocks at Tagueït. - Aïr / Niger

Dunes in the region of Tagueït - Aïr / Niger

Dead tree at Tagueït - Aïr / Niger

Aïr / Tagueït / The guide In the desert, it is always the man of knowledge and experience who chooses the best route to preserve the resources of the caravan.

Woman wearing feathers, engraving of the horse period (Tagueït / Aïr / Niger)

The sand dunes at the entrance to Wadi Tagueït. - Niger - 1992

In the region of Tagueït - Aïr - Niger - 1999

On the way to the Tagueït waterhole - Niger - 2000

The dromedaries are led to the nearby well of Ibil, where they can quench their thirst. - Tagueït - Niger 2002

The dromedaries have quenched their thirst in nearby Ibil and return to the camp at Tagueït. - Niger 2002

Landscape with tree, bushes and dune near Tagueït. See next photo. - Niger - 1992

10 years later! Landscape with tree, bushes and dune near Tagueït - Niger - 2002

Landscape near Tagueït - Aïr - Niger - 2001

This fresco of giraffes, remarkable for the stencilling and line engraving it required, does not date from the same period as the two figures, including an archer, preceding the herd, which appear to be much more recent. The main animals are between 0.60 m and 0.80 m tall. The rock itself is 2.40 m long. - Tagueït – Aïr – Niger - 2002

Rock engraving, found on the left side of the Wadi Tagueït. - Niger - 2001

Site of the rock engraving on the edge of the Ténéré desert - The man of Tagueït - Aïr - Niger - 2000

The Man of Tagueït - Rock engraving on the edge of the Ténéré desert - Aïr - Niger - 2000

These giraffes can be found in the lower part of the Oued Tagueït. Do they come from the pastoral period? - Aïr - Niger - 2002

In the lower part of the Oued Tagueït - end of the pastoral period. Five highly stylised giraffes. From the head to the base of the legs of the largest giraffe: 0.95 metres. - Aïr - Niger - 2002

In the lower part of the Oued Tagueït - Punched giraffe and ostriches on boulders. Height of the stone: 0.50 m. - Aïr - Niger - 2002

20 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Wall overloaded with graffiti. While the figures from the Horse Period are identifiable, the rest makes little sense. Note an axe at the top, in the center.

21 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Pastoral Period? It is difficult to associate these giraffes with those from Oued Tafidet: their attribution to one style or another is difficult.

22 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Pastoral Period. An elephant, with noticeable feet and a vertical line across the middle of its belly. Another antelopine. A schematic ostrich made with a single line. Height of the elephant: 0.40 m.

23 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Horse Period. A figure without a weapon, carrying an indeterminate round object on the left arm. Decoration on the central part of the body. From the top of the feathers to the base of the feet: 1.10 m.

24 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - End of the Pastoral Period. Five highly stylized giraffes. From the head to the base of the legs of the largest giraffe: 0.95 m.

25 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Pastoral period. In the Sahel, near domesticated cattle, giraffes are not rare. Their abundance should therefore not be surprising. Remember the crumbly nature of the rocks in the Air mountains. Height of the large giraffe: 0.65 m.

26 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - The stippling aims to render the coat of an antelopine to the edge of schematism. From the horns to the legs: 0.40 m.

27 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Note the difference in style between the first three giraffes on the right and the two preceding them, and finally the one on the extreme left. The supporting block is 2.20 m wide. The rock is located at the top of a rockslide.

28 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Stippled giraffe and ostriches on a rockslide. Height of the rock: 0.50 m.

29 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Very schematic stippled engravings. The central figure does not clearly evoke equids. To its right, a figure with a bi-triangular garment and a head in an inverted U-shape. The central figure is 0.70 m tall.

30 - Tagueït bas (Aïr). - Figures with "ant head" (equids) set against a background of animals (domesticated?). Note the spears and round shields. The animals measure between 0.30 and 0.40 m in height.

31 - Tagueït moyen (Aïr). - Figures from the horse era. One might wonder what the multiple forms of the heads, oversized in relation to the body, correspond to. Then, note the individuals with a bi-triangular coat, those with a straight coat, and those whose legs are visible up to the thighs. The tallest measures 0.50 m.

32 - Tagueït moyen (Aïr). - Four very schematic and very recent ostriches. The tallest is 0.37 m high.

33 - Tagueït moyen (Aïr). - Current or sub-current giraffe. Note the right-angled tail, the straight spine, and the gender still emphasized. Height: 0.32 m.

34 - Tagueït moyen (Aïr). - Two male elephants in the same very decadent style as the previous giraffes and ostriches. They appear to be from the pre-Islamic period but should be dated to the end of the pastoral period.

35 - Tagueït haut (Aïr). - Giraffes, bovids, rhinoceroses, and ostriches intertwine and overlap in this fresco, where wild species seem to dominate.

36 - Tagueït medium (Aïr). – Note the difference in patina between the two giraffes on the left, which are themselves overlain by a newer giraffe with an appendage around the neck. The hind legs are too long, like those of the two giraffes on the right. Note the isolated rhinoceros at the top, as well as the chariot, which highlights the historical character of the work engraved in "flat". The chariot's platform is not visible; finally, a lion (?) catches the attention. Chariot length: 0.52 m.

37 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Enlargement of the belly pattern of the central giraffe in the next image. Note the combined use of punctuating and line drawing. Width of the detail: 0.35 m.

38 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – This giraffe fresco, remarkable for the work of punctuating and line engraving it required, does not date from the same period as the two figures, one of which is an archer leading the herd, and which seem much later. The main animals measure between 0.60 m and 0.80 m. The rock itself is 2.40 m long.

Maximilien Bruggmann photographing the giraffe fresco in Tagueït.

39 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Archer of the horse period and a young horse. Clumsy punctuating. The bow measures 0.50 m in length.

40 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Punctuated elephant, very decadent. From the top of the skull to the hind leg: 0.27 m.

41 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Small, very natural horse with an appendage hanging at the neck. The inside is fully punctuated. Although it is probably a mere coincidence, the horse is in the posture of an animal rising up. Height: 0.27 m.

42 - Tagueït high (Aïr). – Fresco depicting giraffes, an elephant, ostriches, and an ox. The important site of Tagueït does not offer any truly ancient engravings. The wildlife is still significant, but the arrival of foreign ethnic groups often makes it difficult to attribute them to a specific culture.

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