Somaliland: Las Geel Rock Paintings

This was the number one site i wanted to visit in Somaliland and it didn’t disappoint. About an hour drive east from Hargiesa, accompanied by khat-chewing (mild intoxicating plant that everyone in Somalia chews nonstop) security guard with AK-47 and a driver at the wheel of a rugged 4WD Toyota, you come to a completely desolate desert sight of rocky mounds and caves. After a half hour hike, you come to caves that preserve stunning prehistoric rock painting dating back to the 9th century BC! Some of the oldest rock art on Earth, and this site is hardly ever visited or known! The dry desert air and isolation have preserved the drawings and paintings remarkably – there are figures, domestic animals, fight scenes, farming scenes, wild animals, and combinations of the above. There is an image of a domesticated dog here as well. Don’t know why, but somehow to me this place seemed more amazing than all the world’s intricate temples, mosques, pyramids, and cathedrals – this was the very dawn of our civilization, almost 3000 years old!
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