Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - Site Jabbaren - Hunting Scene

Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - Site Jabbaren - Pastoral scene painted in red ocher

In the morning light
Dunes near Jabbaren.
Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

At Jabbaren, Targui Hosseini kneels in deep prayer. - Algeria - 1966

This picture of the site of Jabbaren in the Tassili n' Ajjer (Algerian Sahara) shows the extensive abris where Neolithic people lived. On their walls they painted with consummate skill the familiar scenes from their daily lives. - Algeria - 1966

Dunes in the morning light at Jabbaren. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

Rock arch in Jabbaren. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

Rock formation with shelter in Jabbaren. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The shelter of the "Abyssinian" in Jabbaren. On the following picture a detail of it. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

Hands in negative form. They are moving because they represent the sign of a person who placed them on the rock with a wish. Was it fulfilled? Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - Jabbaren - 1993

Very nice document that shows well the use of the walls of a rock shelter. Its floor forms a continuation of the floor of the neighbouring abris. The large herd of cattle is typical of the beautiful polychrome paintings from the pastoral period and shows the homogeneity of a type of cattle with many different types of coat. Width of the depicted painting: 1.20 m. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - Jabbaren - 1993

Landscape image from the Oued Amazzar. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

The Akba Aroum pass leads from Djanet to Jabbaren. Algeria - Tassili n'Ajjer - 1993

3 - Tin-Tazarift (Tassili-n'Ajjer) – Slender archer from the bovine period. As is often the case, the arrows are carried in a "bundle," and one arrow has just been released by the archer.

3 - Tin-Tazarift (Tassili-n'Ajjer) – (original photo) Slender archer from the bovine period. As is often the case, the arrows are carried in a "bundle," and one arrow has just been released by the archer.

6 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer) – Life-size hands in negative, obtained by projecting white pigment onto hands pressed against the rock. This symbol is universal and remains emotionally powerful.

398 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Painting from the period known as the "round heads". A composition reminiscent of modern "Martians". All in shades from yellow to brown. Sometimes the heads are completely spherical. Here, one feels powerless to interpret what the eye observes, as it neither corresponds to what we know nor to what we believe. No regular lines, no familiar objects. How one would like to understand what the artists were trying to tell us! At the center of the panel, a procession of figures rendered in dark brown. On their heads, there are horns (?) or baskets with handles. The costumes are as difficult to describe as the heads. Height of the figure: 0.78 m.

399 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Mural of the same type as the previous one, treated in dark brown. Height of the central figure: 0.32 m.

400 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - White painting of two figures with "round heads". In reality, their heads are red. On the right, note the "transparent skirt". Width of the depicted panel: 0.78 m.

401 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - The "Abyssinian". This magnificent painting presents an individual with fine features, abundant hair, and a beard. There are not only White and Black people. A whole ethnic group consists of "Whites with dark skin". They are numerous in East Africa and once frequented the Sahara.

402 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - This is a true "Neolithic city", in other words, a "place of life". It is in this shelter that the famous "Abyssinian" was created, which can be seen in the upper right quarter of the photo. The feet are nearly invisible.

403 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - General view of another shelter, whose walls are covered in polychrome paintings ranging from white to dark brown. It should be noted that these are men with a distinctly Negroid morphology. Almost all of them are depicted in an aggressive posture, running, often with a bow in hand. Also noteworthy are the curved, narrower structures in front and thicker at the back. The depiction of bovids remains very naturalistic. We are still in the "bovid era". Width of the depicted panel: 2.60 m.

404 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Detail from photo 403. At the top left and bottom right, bovids are shown ridden by three figures. At the top, in front of the cow, a runner precedes them at high speed. Above the yellow ox, which he overtakes on the right, an archer appears to be drawing his bow, while behind him, a man holds a bundle of arrows (?) and walks in front of another who carries a staff resting on his hips. This is still a familiar attitude among shepherds today.

405 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - In the center of this other detail from photo 403, an archer holds a bow in front of him, with his arms outstretched, painted in a curious white color. He is distinctly dolichocephalic, his body is slender and very long-limbed. The male sex is clearly marked. Above him, slightly to the left, is a magnificent bovine painted with fine lines but without any coloration of the fur.

406 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Detail from photo 403. Archers with well-stocked quivers appear to be attacking an enemy. Upon viewing these scenes, it is clear that this black ethnicity is engaged in warfare, not hunting.

407 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Final detail of panel 403. The galloping archer is clearly visible in his pastoral bovine setting.

408 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Hunting scene (?). The archers seem to be facing animals. Note that the quiver is worn on the left side. It is also possible that the quiver is a "ring" hanging from the belt, as the arrows are distinctly visible in front and behind the body at waist level. The figures measure between 0.13 m and 0.18 m in height.

409 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Two running archers. Between 0.13 m and 0.18 m in height.

410 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Two more archers. The first, on the left, has six arrows in his "quiver" and holds his bow in the air. The bow is always simple and shows no variations. However, there are hundreds of different arrowhead forms. Width of the represented panel: 0.43 m.

411 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Archer, like his companions, painted in red ochre. A remnant of white paint indicates the existence of a loincloth that has since disappeared. On the archer at the bottom left, the white loincloth is more visible. Height of the figure in the center: 0.16 m.

412 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Still archers, who seem to have held an important place in the artists' minds. An antelope is visible in the center. Height of the archer: 0.16 m.

413 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Pastoral scene, painted in red ochre. Below, schematically, a hunting scene is depicted. The figures at the top are dressed in "tunics." Width of the scene depicted: 1.10 m.

414 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Curious ochre painting with beings having very "puffed-up" hair, as is occasionally encountered. Some of them seem to be touching it. Some of the figures are seated. Width of the rock: 0.74 m.

415 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Stylized birds. Based on their thighs, they are probably ostriches. The legs are painted with red ochre. The contours of the body are indicated by a thick white line.

416 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Body of an ostrich painted in white, preceded by a young ostrich. Width of the panel: 2.55 m.

417 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Hunting scene rendered in red ochre. A gazelle and an antelope are being pursued by hunters.

418 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Hunting scene in red ochre, featuring three hunters on the left, two of whom raise their bow in the left hand, while another has placed his bow in front of him. They are waiting, while on the right, a large antelope flees from them. From the snout to the rear arm of the last figure: 0.80 m.

419 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer) - The "Black Archer." Painting in ochre that leaves no doubt about the hunter's ethnic background. He wears a curious hairstyle and probably a loincloth, while drawing his bow forward. From the left end of the bow to the end of the left hand: 0.20 m.

420 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Pastoral scene painted in red and white ochre. The figures in the center have a very tall hairstyle. They may be women. The gestures are elegant and well-observed. The person in the center is 0.21 m in height.

421 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Another bucolic scene. Some heads resemble those of "praying mantises." Painting in red and white ochre. Width of the depicted panel: 0.77 m.

422 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - A figure painted in white with a dark loincloth. It is accompanied by a small ungulate. In its hands, it holds what may be a “sickle” made of flint shards inserted into a mammal rib. It wears (?) some sort of headdress, and in front of it is an antelope. From the tail of the small antelope to the man's forehead: 0.27 m.

423 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - The right part of the fresco, damaged by erosion, is unreadable. However, on the left, beneath the black figures we just saw, there is a procession of other people whose visible breasts allow us to affirm that six of them are women, and there are no taboos in this regard. Height of the depicted panel: 0.63 m.

424 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - A large animal painted in dark red ochre. The lack of frontal horns suggests it might be an anteater (?). The thickness of the legs is striking. From the base of the tail to the snout: 0.67 m.

425 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - "Hell." It is strange to encounter horned little devils who are, according to their creators, neither men nor beasts. Their origin is the same fantasy that populated the hells of the Middle East and other places with demonic beings. In any case, this testimony serves as a marker for the evocation of evil. Height of the little devil on the center-left: 0.17 m.

426 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Figures with "round" heads, like those from Tan-Zoumaïtak. They are painted white and hold a bow in the right hand, a stick (?) in the left hand. The central figure wears a belt with an appendage.

427 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Drawing based on a photo by Maximilien Bruggmann of two very beautiful oxen with precise anatomy. The horns are typical and emphasize their racial characteristics. The perspective is well studied. From the right snout to the left tail: 0.57 m in length.

427 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - (original photo) Drawing based on a photo by Maximilien Bruggmann of two very beautiful oxen with precise anatomy. The horns are typical and emphasize their racial characteristics. The perspective is well studied. From the right snout to the left tail: 0.57 m in length.

428 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - A walking goat. The exact contour is painted in dark red ochre, and the udder is clearly indicated. At the bottom right, there is a small, undifferentiated figure. Height of the goat: 0.30 m.

429 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – The "Jabbaren cow," easily identifiable by its udder and morphology. The poor perspective shows a single horn projected too far forward. It is also possible the artist intended to depict an animal with just one horn. The line across the belly is not from the time of the painting. Perhaps the necklace also doesn’t belong to the same era. The body of the animal, outlined with a fine red ochre line, is particularly beautiful. From the front horn to the end of the tail: 0.32 m.

430 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - This hunter (or "archer") wears a loincloth that retains the skin of the animal's legs and tail from which it originates. The man holds a bow in his left hand. Painted in red ochre. Height of the figure: 0.21 m.

431 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – In the large shelter of Jabbaren, one can admire this reproduction, whose grace, long neck, and the delicacy of the large legs surely belong to an antelope. The head and neck are very well observed (detail of the next photo).

432 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – A painted fresco showing, in red ochre, a group of bovines, antelopes, and figures. It is possible that the artist wanted to represent not large antelopes, but horses.

433 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – We are back in Tadrart Acacous, where we saw the first figures wearing a kind of cape on their backs. This red and white painting from Jabbaren clearly shows the garment, which seems to be held by a belt over the white tunic. The heads of the two men appear adorned with feathers. Height 0,15 m

434 - Jabbaren (the large shelter, Tassili-n'Ajjer). – Four costumed figures clearly show the territorial expansion of the ethnic group already encountered in Acacous. In their right hands, they hold indefinable objects. White paint dominates, and red ochre highlights precise details. At the bottom left, a well-rendered bovine is painted.

435 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – Bovines moving to the right. A beautiful polychrome painting emphasizing anatomical precision, which gives the viewer the feeling of actually witnessing a pastoral scene. At the top left, a "crescent-shaped structure" is seen, already noted elsewhere: refer to photo 403 from the Jabbaren site.

436 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – On the edge of a reg, a shelter whose background is formed by the edge of a soft rock attacked by water and wind erosion. It is the rock portions that form a ceiling at head height that have preserved the most rock paintings.

437 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). – A very fine document showing well the use of the walls of a rock shelter. Its floor continues from that of the neighboring shelter. The large herd of bovines is characteristic of the beautiful polychrome paintings of the pastoral period and shows the homogeneity of a bovine species with multiple coat colors. Width of the depicted slab: 1.20 m.

438 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Mural of bovines from the pastoral period, painted with red ochre and white paint. There is a predominance of males. It can be assumed that castration was already known at this time, but it is unclear what economic practices governed the management of these large herds. The panel depicted is 1.85 meters wide.

439 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Detail of the previous panel. The combination of red ochre with various metal oxides allowed the creation of black-brown, green, blue, and yellow hues.

440 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - Negative handprints. We have already seen similar messages at the introduction. They are moving because they represent the mark of a human who left them on the rock while making a wish. Was it fulfilled?

441 - Jabbaren (Tassili-n'Ajjer). - This excellent photo, taken by the competent and sharp eye of Maximilien Bruggmann, shows us where the people whose masterpieces we are detailing lived. Of course, one must also add the life provided by water: humans, as well as animals and plants. This is how Jabbaren was at the time.

Photo Gallery