Jebel Uweinat (Gebel Uweinat)
Jabal Uwaynat · Jebel Uweinat · Uwenat · Arkenu
Neolithic to Middle Holocene (6000–1000 BCE)·Saharan Neolithic pastoral·🇪🇬 New Valley Governorate (Egypt-Libya-Sudan tripoint), Egypt
About
About Jebel Uweinat (Gebel Uweinat)
1,900-m granite inlier with paleowater crater-like wadi incl. Karkur Talh (valley of acacias) 25 km long, Jebel Uweinat archipelago 400 km diameter oasis of 16 gueltas hosts 6000 BCE rock art: early Round-head bovid and later Cattle Herders with udder-marked cows, hunting giraffe spear, human stick figures, and enigmatic 'goggle-eye' masks. Hassanein Bey 1923 discovery, Prince Kemal el Din 1925 Wadi Karakuri, Frobenius 1933. Arkenu twin crater meteoric debated. Water: Acacia raddiana relics. Art Carlos 1920s–. Italian Zanettin 1960s craters debate.
Why it mattersClassic desert oasis rock art massif at tri-border illustrating early Saharan pastoralism and Karkur hydrological refugium.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether Arkenu craters are impact vs volcanic
- 02Pastoral timing relative to Gilf Kebir cattle
Theories
- 01Uweinat as Saharan water tower (Kuper)
- 02Neolithic cattle diffusion via Uweinat corridor
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Rock art 6000–1000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic to Middle Holocene (6000–1000 BCE)
- Culture
- Saharan Neolithic pastoral
- Builders
- Saharan herders
- Purpose
- Desert oasis shrine marking watered highlands amid hyper-aridity
- Rediscovered
- 1923 Hassanein Bey; 1925 Prince Kemal
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Rock art 6000–1000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1428 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
21.9200° N · 24.9200° E · 1940 m · 2 mapped features
Karkur Talh Rock Art Cluster
rock artBovid herd panels in 25 km wadi
21.9000° N · 25.0000° EArkenu Crater (East Arkenu)
crater10 km debated impact/volcanic landform
22.0900° N · 23.7300° E
Gallery