Somaliland Has So Much To Offer

[Jacaylbaro]

Somaliland is an area of Africa that not many would associate with historical art, but it should be. Just recently, Dr Sada Mire, an archaeologist from the University College London, discovered pre-historic rock art said to date as far back as 5,000 years and can be found at approximately 100 sites around the area.

 

Some of the paintings illustrate scenes where animals have bands around their necks and bellies, a potential indication of early farming, and a painting of a man on horseback, possibly one of the first documentations of man on horseback.

 

Another big attraction to Somaliland, not yet recognised as a nation, are the caves at Laas-Geel where there are paintings estimated to be between 5,000 to 11,000 years old.

 

Haunted by spirits

 

For centuries, these caves were only known to nomads who thought they were haunted by spirits and folklore warned people to stay away.

 

The extraordinarily well preserved painted caves were eventually discovered in 2000 and the ‘paint’ is thought to be made from mineral sources and brewed into a paste that sticks to the rock. Most of the figures were of cows, showing a heavily pastoralist theme, though there were images of wild animals and dogs too, amongst the people.

 

Somaliland archaeology has been largely protected from the fact that, whereas Somalia has been suffering from an ongoing civil war, the former has been relatively peaceful. Also, the area’s Department of Antiquities has taken measures to protect cultural heritage resources.

 

With individuals, like home-grown Sada Mire, the prospects for this little country’s cultural impact could be huge.