The Acacus Mountains, also known as Tadrart Akakus (Arabic: تدرارت أكاكوس / ALA-LC: Tadrārt Akākūs), are a mountain range located in the Ghat District of western Libya, which is part of the Sahara Desert. They are found east of the city of Ghat, Libya, and extend north from the border with Algeria, covering about 100 kilometers (62 miles). The area is known for having a large collection of ancient rock art.

History

Tadrart is the feminine form of "mountain" in Berber languages (masculine: adrar).

The Acacus Mountains were continuously inhabited by hunter-gatherers during the Holocene, even as the climate changed during the African Humid Period. These sites help scientists understand how people processed food and moved around as they adapted to climate changes. Animal domestication, part of the African Neolithic, arrived in this region about 7,000 years before the present. At that time, people relied mainly on pastoralism (raising animals) and foraging (collecting food), not farming.

The region’s sites are divided into three main periods: Early Acacus, Late Acacus, and Pastoral Neolithic. The Early Acacus (about 9,810–8,880 years before present) was a wet time when small groups of people lived in valleys and near lakes. The Late Acacus (about 8,870–7,400 years before present) was a dry time when larger groups lived more settled lives in valleys. People processed more wild grains, stored food, and used grinding stones and pottery widely. The Pastoral Neolithic was a wetter time again, with increased movement and the domestication of animals. People used grinding stones less during this period.

This area is famous for its rock art and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 because of its important paintings and carvings. The art dates from 12,000 BCE to 100 CE and shows changes in the region’s culture and environment.

The art includes images of animals like giraffes, elephants, ostriches, and camels, as well as humans and horses. People are shown in daily activities, such as playing music and dancing.

• Giraffe
• Elephant
• Human figures
• Human and animal figures
• Human figure

Tadrart Acacus is also where the earliest known processed milk fat on ceramics was found. This was dated to 7,500 years before the present using radiocarbon dating.

Vandalism and destruction since 1969

During Muammar Gaddafi’s rule from 1969 to 2011, the Department of Antiquities was not taken care of properly. Since 2005, the search for oil underground has put the rock art at risk. Seismic hammers are used to send shock waves into the ground to find oil, and these tools have harmed nearby rocks, including those that hold the Tadrart Acacus rock art.

The stealing of ancient artifacts became a serious problem. In response, UNESCO asked for a campaign to teach people about Libya’s archaeological and cultural heritage and to warn Libyans that their heritage was being stolen by thieves and damaged by developers.

In 2012, after Gaddafi was killed, a $2.26 million UNESCO project began with the Libyan and Italian governments to train staff. The project focused on conservation, protection, and education. Along with Tadrart Acacus, Libya has four other UNESCO World Heritage sites: Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Sabratha, and Ghadames. UNESCO suggested that a center should be built in Ghat or Uweynat to train staff who protect the sites and to create a museum to raise awareness about the heritage.

UNESCO State of Conservation (SOC) reports from 2011, 2012, and 2013 show that at least ten rock-art sites were deliberately and heavily damaged since at least April 2009. Unclear boundaries of the World Heritage Site and a lack of local understanding about its cultural value contributed to the vandalism. Conflicts in the area since 2011 increased the damage.

In May 2013, UNESCO sent a team to check the condition of the Tadrart Acacus site and to create a plan to protect and manage the area.

On April 14, 2014, two types of vandals were reported: those who carved their names on the rock art and those who used chemicals to remove the drawings. On April 20, 2014, a local journalist from Ghat, Libya, told the French correspondent Jacques-Marie Bourget that the UNESCO Rock-Art World Heritage Site of Tadrart Acacus was being destroyed with sledgehammers and scrub brushes.

Art

Funeral Ritual in the Acacus is a painting by Shefa Salem. It was inspired by cave art from the Acacus Mountains, which is from around 4000 BC. The cave art showed a boat with a group of people, and one person was upside down.

Geography

The Tadrart Acacus has many different types of landscapes, including colored dunes, rock arches, deep ravines, and tall, lonely rocks. Important places in this area are the Afzejare and Tin Khlega arches. Even though this region is very dry, there are plants like the Calotropis procera, which is used for healing, and there are springs and wells in the mountains.

• Acacus Mountains in western Libya, part of the Sahara Desert
• Rock arch in Tadrart Acacus
• The Moul n'ga Cirque in the Tadrart Rouge region, with clouds shaped like waves above
• Desert of Akakus
• Head rock
• Rock formations
• Rock formations
• Temporary shelters built by people