Gravure Vache qui pleure à Djanet dans le Sahara algérien

Terres Touareg

The rock engravings of the Weeping Cow in Djanet

In the heart of the Algerian Sahara, the rock engravings of the ‘Weeping Cow’ have fascinated travellers and researchers for centuries. Located in the Tassili n’Ajjer Cultural Park, near the Djanet oasis, they bear witness to the creativity and beliefs of the region’s earliest inhabitants, including the ancestors of the Tuareg people. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a gateway to the mysteries of the Saharan Neolithic period.

The Neolithic period: a revolution for mankind

The Neolithic period marks a major turning point in human history with the invention of agriculture and animal husbandry. This new sedentarisation transformed lifestyles: from predators, the first humans became producers, developing architecture, weaving and the mastery of polished stone tools.

Saharan rock engravings, a memory of the ancients

The Tassili n’Ajjer and Hoggar massifs are home to several thousand rock engravings and paintings, evidence of the earliest Saharan cultures. These fascinating works have been recorded since the 19th century and continue to shed light on the daily lives and spiritual practices of the ancient Saharan tribes.

The Weeping Cow of Tegharghart, an emblematic masterpiece of the Tassili n’Ajjer region

The ‘Weeping Cow’ engravings are located around 25 km from Djanet, in south-east Algeria, and depict a small herd of bovids, or zebus. These animals, typical of sub-Saharan Africa, lived in the region more than 7,000 years ago.

This work is unique in several ways:

  1. A masterpiece of Neolithic sculpture: the engravings are done in bas-relief, with deep, clear grooves, setting it apart from other staking engraving techniques found elsewhere in the Tassili.
  2. An emotional masterpiece: The cows appear to be crying, a detail that arouses emotion and interpretation, in harmony with their realistic posture, as if they were waiting for water to arrive.

Why is the Crying Cow crying?

This symbol of the Algerian Sahara gives rise to various interpretations:

  • For some researchers, the cows’ tears are a reaction to the lack of water, a liquid secreted by their eyes to compensate for dehydration.
  • Another hypothesis sees a variation in colour on the coat, simply engraved by the artist.
  • According to Tuareg legend, the cows cry because they can no longer find water when they return to this once fertile area. The artist is said to have immortalised this moment of sadness by engraving them in this way. Mohamed Beddiaf, former director of the Tassili Park, recounts: ‘During the droughts, it became rare to find water, hence the tears that flow from the eyes of these cows.

The rock engravings of the Weeping Cow are a cultural and historical treasure of the Algerian Sahara, plunging us into the soul of the ancient Saharan tribes and the Tuareg tribe. These unique works, carved into the rock, tell the story of man and his environment thousands of years ago. Today, they continue to attract lovers of Saharan history and culture, passionate about the immense heritage of the Tassili n’Ajjer.

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