The Tadrart Rouge (meaning "Red Mountain") or Southern Tadrart or Algerian Tadrart or Meridional Tadrart is a mountain range in southeastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, part of the Algerian Desert. The area has a rich array of rock art.

Geography

The ''Tadrart Rouge'' is a roughly 15–30 km large and 150 km long southern prolongation of the Libyan Tadrart Acacus into Algeria spanning to the frontier of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagessandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, it links the Tassili n’Ajjer in the north-west to the

Djado Djado is a ghost town in Bilma Department, Bilma in Niger. The settlement lies on the Djado Plateau, plateau with the same name. The settlement likely wasn't called Djado during its existence. The site is quite remote. No excavation has been done ...

in the southeast. The range is broken by a series of west-east oriented fossil drainage networks resulting in deep gorges. ''In Djaren'', discharging into the erg of ''Tin Merzuga'', is the most important one. The range reaches its maximum elevation of towards its southern end about 160 km southeast of

Djanet Djanet ( ar, جانت) is an oasis city, and capital of Djanet District as well as of Djanet Province, southeast Algeria. It is located south of Illizi. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 14,655, up from 9,699 in 1998, and an a ...

. Erosion has formed a large number of

natural arch A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion ...

es. The area is well known for the spectacular red-orange sand dune fields contrasting with the jagged dark red rock formations of the range. Palaeoclimate

The ''Tadrart Rouge'' is today harsh and dry with almost no precipitation. But during the

African humid period The African humid period (AHP) (also known by other names) is a climate period in Africa during the late Pleistocene and Holocene geologic epochs, when northern Africa was wetter than today. The covering of much of the Sahara desert by grasses, ...

the area had rainfall and was covered by

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

vegetation and thus was suitable for human and animal life. Stefan Kröpelin et al., Climate driven ecosystem succession in the Sahara: The past 6000 years. Science 2008, 320, pp. 765–768.

Rock art

The ''Tadrart Rouge'' has magnificent Saharan rock art covering a long chronological span from early Neolithic to recent times. Rock walls and rock shelters on wadi bottoms are dotted with both rock paintings and rock engravings, documenting climate change as the area evolved from a savanna 10,000 years ago to a desert 5,000 years ago. The rock art changed in time from wild fauna such as elephants, rhinos, giraffes, antelopes, and wild bovids, to domesticated animals such as bovids, ovicaprids, horses, and camels. tifinagh Tifinagh ( Tuareg Berber language: or , ) is a script used to write the Berber languages. Tifinagh is descended from the ancient Libyco-Berber alphabet. The traditional Tifinagh, sometimes called Tuareg Tifinagh, is still favored by the Tuar ...

Geography

Rock art

References

External links