A little over an hour from Hargeisa, turn off National Highway 1 to visit Somaliland's greatest archeological site, Laas Geel |
Interesting rocks along the 5 km dirt road leading to the rock art site at Laas Geel |
Our guide told us this pile of rocks was the remains of an ancient tomb |
Nomadic herders live in simple shelters in the countryside |
The frame of a traditional Somali hut awaiting its patchwork quilt cover |
Detail of the frame of a traditional Somali hut |
Simple staple food of the Somali nomads |
Somali woman in front of her small hut |
Somali woman, shy but friendly |
Frame of a traditional Somali hut awaiting its cover |
Our SPUs keep an eye on things as we visit the nomads |
Somali nomad dwellings along the road to Laas Geel |
Karen with one of the SPUs |
Somali girl near Laas Geel |
Somali girl in blue |
Somali girl and her brother sporting a red New York shirt |
Nomad camp along the track to Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Nomadic neighbors |
Another hut of Somali nomads near Laas Geel |
Laas Geel police check point...closed Friday |
No one home at the Laas Geel police checkpoint |
Distinctive koppie at Laas Geel, but not the site of the prehistoric rock paintings |
Stark beauty surrounds the Laas Geel site, Somaliland |
Rocky massif of Laas Geel, the site of caves sheltering prehistoric rock art estimated to be at least 5000 years old |
Another group of foreign visitors gives scale to the size of the rocky hill at Laas Geel |
Laas Geel's art has been known to locals for centuries, but only in 2002 did the site come to the attention of archeaologists |
Laas Geel is located at N9 46.7/E44 26.7 at an elevation of 3500 ft |
Laas Geel lies at the confluence of two wadis |
Crossing the wadi to reach the Laas Geel visitor center |
Information posters at the Laas Geel visitor center |
Information poster of the site of Laas Geel and its 20 cave-like shelters |
Description of Shelter 1 at Laas Geel |
Shelter 1 is decorated with 350 individual paintings |
Description of the figures painted at Laas Geel, human and animal |
Archeological test pits in Shelter 7 at Laas Geel |
Other prehistoric rock art sites in Somaliland |
Laas Geel is sometimes also written as Las Gaal |
Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Climbing the path leading up to the caves of Laas Geel |
A hardy tree taking root in the rock |
Shelter One of Laas Geel |
Most of the paintings at Laas Geel represent cattle |
Someday Laas Geel will surely be a World Heritage Site |
The local guide at Laas Geel provided some interpretation |
Animal and human figures in Shelter 1, Laas Geel |
Hunter with a bow and arrow |
Laas Geel rock art |
Karen with the Somali guides, Laas Geel |
Human and animal figures, Laas Geel |
Some of the paintings have rather vivid colors |
Goat? Dog? |
The majority of the paintings at Laas Geel depict cattle |
The rock shelter, not quite a cave, has some rather interesting indentations, perhaps man-made? |
Laas Geel prehistoric rock art, Somaliland |
Man and beast, Laas Geel |
Laas Geel dates to the Neolithic era |
Rock art, Laas Geel |
It is believed that Laas Geel had a better climate in prehistoric times to support herds of cattle |
View from Laas Geel across the the neighboring koppie |
Millennia ago, when the paintings were created, this was probably a flowing river rather than a mostly dry wadi |
Rather than being full-fledged caves, Laas Geel is more just indentations that provide shelter |
View looking towards the confluence of the wadis that gave Laas Geel its name, "where the camels are watered" |
Were the necks of the prehistoric Somalis really decorated with colorful rings? |
One of the 20 or so rock shelters at Laas Geel |
Most of the best preserved paintings are on the roofs of the caves/shelters |
Man and cow, Laas Geel |
Cave-like rock shelter, Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Niches carved out of the stone, Laas Geel |
Rock art, Laas Geel |
Painted cows, Laas Geel |
The local site guide taking a break as we explore Laas Geel |
Laas Geel neolithic rock art site, Somaliland |
Even here, our SPUs accompany us |
View through the opening of one of the deeper caves at Laas Geel |
Access to some of the shelters requires a little scrambling |
Even without the world class archeological site, Laas Geel is a place of scenic beauty |
A small lizard, Laas Geel |
Cactus, Laas Geel |
Climbing among the rocks of Laas Geel |
Panoramic view of Laas Geel and the wadis |
This shelter took a bit of a scramble to reach |
Giraffe, probably long since vanished from Somaliland |
Laas Geel, Somaliland |
One of our security escorts |
Laas Geel |
Thorny bush, Laas Geel |
Cave opening, Laas Geel |
Will, our host, with Karen and Trygve |
That says profile photo all over it |
Looking down from the top of Laas Geel |
Panoramic view of Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Baboon poo, Laas Geel |
Will and the SPUs |
Will and an SPU |
SPU at Laas Geel |
Laas Geel has around 20 painted caves and shelters |
Laas Geel makes Somaliland a worth goal for the well traveled individual |
Another of the 20 or so rock shelters at Laas Geel |
Rock art painting of a decorated cow, Laas Geel |
Decorated cow, Laas Gel |
Cattle mating, Laas Geel |
A pair of goats, Laas Geel |
Painted cattle, Laas Geel |
Painted cattle, Laas Geel |
A striking scene, Laas Geel |
Prominent rock, Laas Geel |
Scenic Laas Geel |
Scenic Laas Geel |
Visitors to the ancient rock art site of Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Neolithic rock art, Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Laas Geel rock art |
Prehistoric rock art, Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Human figure, Laas Geel |
Cattle, the most important thing to a pastoralist, even in Africa today |
Rock art, Laas Geel, Somaliland |
The paintings at Laas Geel are at least 5000 years old, perhaps as old as 11,000 years |
Was this the neolithic equivalent of today's graffiti? |
We were told that this was the temporary tomb of a soldier killed at Laas Geel during the Somali civil war |
Rock shelter, Laas Geel |
View of the stark landscape surrounding Laas Geel |
Scenic Laas Geel |
I found that pinnacle striking |
Amazingly, the guide caught this baby gazelle by hand |
Baby gazelle that had been hiding a bush at Laas Geel |
Very unhappy baby gazelle |
Run! |
Laas Geel |
Pile of rocks at the base of Laas Geel, probably an ancient tomb |
Laas Geel, well worth a visit |
Wadi crossing by the visitor center, Laas Geel |
Hut of the police checkpoint at Laas Geel |
Rather than backtrack to National Highway 1, we set out across a rough track to meet the highway further north |
Land Cruisers are almost a requirement in Somaliland |
Camel grazing near Laas Geel, Somaliland |
You'd think I've seen enough camels living in the Middle East |
Somaliland Camels |
I'm no expert of camel beauty, but I found the camels in Somaliland to look very robust and healthy |
Somaliland Camel |
Our SPUs were very helpful |
SPU posing with a camel near Laas Geel, Somaliland |
Wildlife near Laas Geel ... looks like gerenuk (Litocranius walleri) |
While not overly abundant, wildlife is present in Somaliland |
Double termite mound near Laas Geel |
...make that a triple... |