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<< Our Photo Pages >> Dhambalin - Rock Art in Somalia

Submitted by bat400 on Tuesday, 03 July 2012  Page Views: 6858

Rock ArtSite Name: Dhambalin
Country: Somalia Type: Rock Art
Nearest Town: Berbera  Nearest Village: Beenyo Dhaadheer
Latitude: 10.400000N  Longitude: 45.900000E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
1
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Dhambalin
Dhambalin submitted by Andy B : Paintings of white sheep at Dhambalin Site in Somalia (Vote or comment on this photo)
Rock Art in Togdheer region.
The Dhambalin rock shelter contains polychrome pictographs of wild and domestic animals and humans. The paintings of cattle are described as fitting the Ethiopian–Arabian style, and dates of 5,000–3,000 years b.p. have been suggested for this style based on associated ceramic finds (Nubian C-Group pottery.)

Archaeologist Sada Mire visited the site as part of a greater survey in 2007 after being visited by locals who had seen her on a televised program about Somali cultural heritage. The location given for the site is only very roughly approximate for the area.

Sources:

Sada Mire, "The Discovery of Dhambalin Rock Art Site, Somaliland", Published online: 11 November 2008.

Somali Heritage and Archaeology.

Note: Uncovering Somalia's heritage, a profile of Sada Mire. Surveying Somaliland's prehistoric and historic cultural heritage. See comment.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 214.6km WSW 246° Laas Gaal* Cave or Rock Shelter
 328.3km NNW 339° Sabr Ancient Village or Settlement
 430.7km NW 324° Al Muhandid stone rows Stone Row / Alignment
 436.4km NNW 337° Osaibah archaeological site Rock Cut Tomb
 510.0km NW 324° Al Fazah standing stone Standing Stones
 515.4km NW 324° al-Tihamah Standing Stones
 557.6km N 353° Sabaean Temple of the Moon* Ancient Temple
 559.3km N 353° Mahram Bilqis* Ancient Temple
 559.6km N 353° Great Dam of Marib* Ancient Mine, Quarry or other Industry
 618.7km NNW 336° al-Mahwit tombs Rock Cut Tomb
 828.7km WSW 255° Tiya Stelae Standing Stones
 863.3km WNW 301° Yeha* Ancient Village or Settlement
 883.6km WNW 299° Aksum* Ancient Village or Settlement
 886.7km N 350° Bir Hima Petroglyphs* Rock Art
 958.4km WSW 242° Tutu Fela* Sculptured Stone
 960.5km WNW 283° Gorgora Rock Shelter* Cave or Rock Shelter
 1046.6km N 356° Al-Faw* Ancient Village or Settlement
 1083.5km N 350° al-Maqar Ancient Village or Settlement
 1181.0km NE 50° Khor Rori* Ancient Village or Settlement
 1357.5km SW 236° Kalokol stone pillars* Standing Stones
 1367.6km SW 233° Lothagam Pillar site Standing Stones
 1399.1km SW 231° Lokori Stone Pillars Standing Stone (Menhir)
 1426.4km SW 230° Namoratunga Rock Engravings Rock Art
 1463.0km SW 220° Lewa Rock Gongs Rock Art
 1495.8km WNW 300° Abu Erteila Ancient Temple
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"Dhambalin" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Sada Mire: Uncovering Somalia's heritage by Anonymous on Thursday, 06 October 2022
Hi there and thnx
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Sada Mire: Uncovering Somalia's heritage by bat400 on Tuesday, 03 July 2012
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Sada Mire is only 35, but she has already revealed a dozen sites that could be candidates for Unesco world heritage status. She has a fellowship in the department of art and archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is head of the department of antiquities in the breakaway territory of Somaliland, in the north-west region of Somalia. She is the only archaeologist working in the region.

Driving her forward is the urge to uncover and preserve a cultural heritage that has been systematically looted, both in colonial times and more recently by warlords trading national heritage for guns. The region has proved to be rich in archaeological wonders, which Sada Mire has been logging for the last four years with a team of 50 helpers.

She has recorded ancient rock art at 100 sites, medieval Islamic towns, and pre-Islamic Christian burial sites.

The most stunning of Ms Mire's discoveries is a vast series of rock art sites in Dhambalin, outside the seaside town of Berbera.

The brightly coloured and beautifully preserved rock paintings, depicting domesticated animals, could be up to 5,000 years old. Men are depicted riding on the back of some of the animals, or with raised arms, as if worshipping the cattle.

Wild animals such as giraffes - which no longer exist in this rocky, arid climate - also appear, suggesting a shift in weather patterns since the paintings were made.

"We all agree that this is an important discovery," says Lazare Eloundou Assomo, chief of Africa at the Unesco World Heritage Centre.

But as Somaliland is not recognised by the UN, and Somalia has not ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention, there is no question of the site getting world heritage status in the near future.

She was brought up in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and still vividly remembers the first bomb, which exploded as she was watering the flowers outside her family home. Within weeks, she was fleeing with her siblings and her mother on top of a relative's lorry, dodging bandits who threatened to attack and rape refugees. Her mother had to sell jewellery along the way to buy food. Together with her twin she eventually made it to Sweden, where they joined an older sister and were granted asylum.

Arriving in the north of the country in the dead of winter, with snow and ice all around, was like stepping into a different world, she says.

As she learned about her new home, she also became acutely aware of the lack of historical knowledge of Africa, before slavery and colonialism. Unearthing the history of her homeland became her key objective.

So far, her work has been limited to Somaliland which, unlike the rest of Somalia, remains relatively peaceful. Even so, travelling between towns she employs guards armed with AK-47s. The roads themselves are treacherous, and landmines and deadly snakes litter the countryside where many of the archaeological sites are found.

Some sites are also now secured by armed guards, to prevent looters.
The country as yet has no museums.

"She is working under incredibly difficult conditions," says Dr Andrew Reid of University College London - Ms Mire's PhD supervisor.

Sada Mire regards national heritage as a human right, crucial to a nation's sense of itself even during a time of conflict and famine.
"When we find sites and I am able to tell local people about the importance of the site and the potential that can come from it - its significance for world heritage - it gives them dignity and pride," she says.

Thanks to coldrum for the link. For more, see http://www.bbc.co.uk
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