Photo Gallery

Dabous (Aïr occidentale) – Fresco with animals: giraffes, ibexes (?) Etc. The giraffe measures 1.15 m from nose to tail.

These two giraffes, etched into a rock ledge, are 6.50 m tall and were engraved around 8000 b.C. (Dabous site, Western Aïr Mountains, Niger).

The rock engravings of Dabous are located on the western edge of the Aïr Mountains in Niger, around 110 km north of Agadez and just a few kilometres off the Trans-Saharan route. In 2000, the rock engravings of Dabous were included in the World Monuments Watch list of the 100 most endangered cultural monuments. - Niger - Aïr - 1999

The giraffes of Dabous are life-size rock engravings of two giraffes in the Sahara from the Neolithic period. They are located on the sloping top of a sandstone block about 15 metres high and cannot be seen from the ground. The larger, male giraffe is 5.8 metres high from horns to hooves and is one of the largest rock engravings of its kind in the world. The female giraffe, which also carries a rope from its nostrils, measures 3.02 metres from head to tail tip. It is estimated to be between 7,000 and 10,000 years old. The giraffes are characterized by their great attention to detail and the preservation of proportions. - Niger - Aïr - 1999

The giraffes of Dabous are life-size rock engravings of two giraffes in the Sahara from the Neolithic period. They are located on the sloping top of a sandstone block about 15 metres high and cannot be seen from the ground. The larger, male giraffe is 5.8 metres high from horns to hooves and is one of the largest rock engravings of its kind in the world. The female giraffe, which also carries a rope from its nostrils, measures 3.02 metres from head to tail tip. It is estimated to be between 7,000 and 10,000 years old. The giraffes are characterized by their great attention to detail and the preservation of proportions. - Niger - Aïr - 1999

70 - Dabous (Western Aïr). - Animal fresco: giraffe, goats (?) etc. Note the deep lines of the engraving, despite the "equine" appearance of the giraffe, which measures 1.15 meters from the nostrils to the tail.

71 - Dabous (Western Aïr). - Antelope engraved in wide and deep lines. From the top of the horns to the front legs: 0.55 meters.

72 - Dabous (Western Aïr). - Antelope-like (?) from the head to the hind hooves: 0.80 m.

73 - Dabous (Western Aïr). - Rare and very beautiful giraffe head. The snout, horns, and ears are polished. The mane is highlighted. This giraffe is reproduced in its entirety in photo 74. Note the rope hanging from the snout...

74 - Dabous (Western Aïr). - Remarkable pair of giraffes with great anatomical precision that can be attributed to the beautiful naturalist era. The left giraffe, from the hind hoof to the head: 5.80 m, and the right one, also with a rope hanging from the nostrils, 3.02 m from the head to the tail's end.