Daily Photo - Mestekawi-Foggini Cave
El-Mestekawi Cave was discovered during an expedition similar to ours in 2002. It is by far the largest site among the three, both in terms of the number of paintings and engravings as well as in terms of variety. Not all the paintings are of the same colour, with some being painted over the other indicating different periods and thus adding to the site's value. Handprints dominate the half- buried wall with alternating paintings of human figures, different animals and representations of hunting scenes. There were also works of art so surprising that they left me truly puzzled and above all impressed, including one representation of a headless bull, repeated in various parts of the cave. Could this be the mystical water creature which, according to legend, had the power to bring rain?
Another image which we found particularly perplexing was that of the footprint. While handprints regularly act as background for other paintings in most parts of the cave, there are only two footprints -- one engraved and another painted. If you stand right in the middle of the cave, lift your head slightly and you will find two adjacent carvings. Both are astounding, and appear to have been created by a highly imaginative avant- garde artist, or perhaps even an alien! I lost track of time as I stood in complete amazement in El-Mestekawi Cave, seeing priceless pieces of art as old as rock art. Indeed, this constituted an unmatched experience that left my soul indulged in mystical harmony.
Most unfortunately, some irresponsible tourists spray water on rock art in order to secure a more vibrant photograph. Although it works, there is also a hefty price to pay in the form an accelerated deterioration of the art itself. Having been dry for thousands of years, the sandstone on which most of the rock art is painted reacts negatively with water. Soon enough, the colours start to fade and the paint starts to peel. Water spraying and camera flashes are lethal when it comes to rock art, so please be very careful whenever present in such a crucially important site.
- New Rock Art Research At Gilf Kebir
Reuters Archaeologists are studying prehistoric rock drawings discovered in a remote cave in 2002, including dancing figures and strange headless beasts, as they seek new clues about the rise of Egyptian civilisation. Amateur explorers stumbled across...
- Mosaic Of The Mestekawi-foggini Cave
Zerzura Club Thanks to Giancarlo Negro for sending me the above link to a mosaic of the rock art in the Mestekawi-Foggini cave in the western Gilf Kebir (Libyan borders of Egypt). To get the best out of these images you need to click on them and give...
- In Pictures: Egypt's Hidden Treasures
BBC News A set of nice photographs from some of Egypt's more unusual places. Here's the text accompanying the first photograph, showing rock art at the Mestekawi-Foggini Cave: Egypt's western desert shelters a treasure trove of prehistoric...
- Video: Western Gilf Kebir
You Tube Regular visitors to the blog will know of my ongoing love affair with the Gilf Kebir area, so finding a video of the place was a briefly happy moment - but I nearly had heart failure at the shots of somewhat tracing over an image from the Mestekawi-Foggini...
- Cave Of The Beasts
Amateur explorers have stumbled upon a cave filled with paintings which may be at least 8000 years old. The cave known as "Cave of the beasts" is located within a few miles of the famous "Cave of the swimmers" in the south west desert that borders Egypt...