Rock Art of Somaliland February, 2024 Participants:  - confirmed    - tentative Trip Status:  TENTATIVE

Day 0. – Arrival to Addis Ababa

Addis is the most convenient access point to Hargeisa with Ethiopian Airlines offerng twice daily flights, and being served by many major international airlines. We would all need to assemble here and take the afternoon flight to Hargeisa.

 
 

REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND But that is a very dangerous place... no ? Well, yes and no. Somaliland is a self-declared independent republic (claiming the territy of former British Somaliland) that is not recognised by any other country in the world, who just consider it an autonomous region of Somalia. This has not deterred the Somalis from building what is for all practical purposes a functioning country, with a freely elected government, a functioning economy, and above all peace which is a rare commodity in that part of Africa. The various damning travel advices are just a blanket rule for all of Somalia, without giving any consideration for the de-facto independence of Somaliland. Our quick first impressions far exceeded any expectations, Hargeisa was a fairly neat, organised town bustling with trade and activity. Tourists must travel with an armed police escort outside the city, but that is more for show (and for some badly needed supplementary earnings for the underpaid police), the locals are very welcoming and friendly, eager to have foreigners visit and spread the word. The few intrepid travelers who visited Somaliland over the past few years all came back with similar impressions, I have not heard of any incident or unpleasant event affecting any foreigner. Of course safety is a very subjective matter, everyone must decide for themselves what they are comfortable with, however my assessment is that Somaliland is no worse (in fact far better) than many dodgier parts of the world where we have no second thoughts traveling to (Anyone took the PATH from lower Manhattan to Jersey City after 10pm recently... ?).

 
 

Days 1. – Dhagah Kureh

After a night at the very neat and comfortable Ambassador Hotel, we will make a day-trip to the rock art sites of Dhagah Kureh, about 30 kilometres outside Hargeisa to the West, with the lagrest panel of cattle paintings in the region. We should be back in Hargeisa by mid-afternoon, allowing a visit of the town itself.

Days 2. – Laas Geel

After another night in the Ambassador Hotel, we will start out to Laas Geel, about 60 kilometres East of Hargeisa. As this is the trip highlight we will spend most of the day there, going through the two dozen sites (seven major ones) scattered about the inconspicuous low hill. Mid-afternoon we will continue to the port city of Berbera on the Red Sea coast where we'll spend the night.

 
 

LAAS GEEL The amazing cattle paintings of Laas Geel have only been discovered by a French team in 2002. While the curious stylized cattle representations have been known from elsewhere in Somaliland, this cluster of sites is by far the best preserved and most spectacular, counting among the finest rock painting sites of the African continent.

The Laas Geel paintings are executed in a unique abstract style, completely different from the naturalistic paintings of the Sahara cattle pastoralists. The main themes are cattle depicted with a stylized head and neck and an exaggerated and often elaborately decorated dewlap. Human figures are similarly depicted in an abstract way, the repertoire is completed with some clearly recognisable dogs, but practically nothing else (there is a single giraffe painting among the thousands of figures).

The sites are scattered about an inconspicuous low granite hill with numerous shelters along its side and under boulders. Despite several other favorable locations nearby, for some reason only the East facing shelters of this one hill were picked by the prehistoric artists.

 
 

Days 3-4 – Berbera - Dhambalin - Dhaymoole - Sheek

In the morning of the frst day we'll drive another 40 kilometres to the East to the rock art site of Dhambalin, a relatively recently discovered site that contains paintings of a very different style (including the earliest sheep known in the horn of Africa). We will return to Berbera for the night. On the second day in the morning we make a brief visit of the town, then continue to the sites of Dhaymoole to the south. In the afternoon we'll take the track and road to the escarpment and Sheek (the "hill station" of British times), staying overnight in the very pleasant guest house.

Day 5-7. - Eastern Somaliland

Over a course of three days we will make a loop in the Eastern part of the country (exact itinerary still needs to be researched and agreed), visiting both rock art and natural sites (the escarpment with the dragon blood trees), returning to the Ambassador Hotel Hargeisa for the evening of the 3rd day. On the return we will pass by Dhagah Nabi Galay, another cluster of sites (with some of the earliest writing) close to Laas Geel, and time permitting we may also make a short farewell visit to Laas Geel itself before returnng to Hargeisa by sunset.

Day 8. - Hargeisa - Addis Ababa (& Khartoum)

We will take the morning Ethiopian flight to Addis Ababa. Those only wishing to participate in the Somaliland trip may leave at this point in Addis Ababa, while those continuing to Jebel Uweinat may take the connecting afternoon flight to Khartoum. While the flights themselves are fairly short, the combined time of airport waits and transfers will take up most of the day.

Back to planned expeditions...