The Agrour Amogjar is a 690 m high peak near the

Amogjar Pass Amojjar Pass is a mountain pass in the Adrar Plateau in the centre of Adrar, near Atar, Mauritania. The pink-brown sandstone of the pass was worn away by repeated cycles of extreme dryness interrupted by torrential rain. The bases of the steep v ...

, in the

Adrar plateau The Adrar (, Berber for "mountain") is a highland natural and historical region of the Sahara Desert in northern Mauritania. The Adrar Region, an administrative division of Mauritania, is named after the traditional region. It is sometimes call ...

of central Mauritania. Its small natural shelters house a rich collection of

rock painting In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

s in a damaged state. An enclosure protects some of the shelters and access is subject to a fee.

Rock paintings

The set of rock paintings is heterogeneous. Eight stylistic groups have been recorded, ranging from the "pastoral" period to the most recent graffiti. The panels are featuring geometric circles with sunburst design, handprints, naturalistic wildlife such as giraffe, lion and crocodile, as well as herds of cattle and human collective scenes. The most important set is a frieze of dancers.Robert Vernet, Les peintures rupestres du haut de la passe d'Amogjar (Mauritanie), pp.199-206 In: Hic sunt leones: mélanges sahariens en l'Honneur d'Alfred Muzzolini, Cahiers de l’AARS; 10: 199-2006.

Gallery

File:AgrourAmogjar2.jpg, Frieze of dancers File:AgrourAmogjar3.jpg, Pecked giraffe File:AgrourAmogjar4.jpg, Cattle File:AgrourAmogjar5.jpg, Geometric circle in red, with rays, and handprints File:AgrourAmogjar6.jpg, Schematically drawn bovine

References

{{Navbox prehistoric caves Adrar Region Archaeological sites in Mauritania History of Mauritania Saharan rock art Caves of Mauritania Archaeological sites of Western Africa