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The Dabous Giraffes are neolithic Patowary, Kaushi (August 2019). " The Giraffes of Dabous ", Amusing Planet, accessed 10 July 2021. by unknown artists on the western side of the Aïr Mountains in north-central Niger." Dabous Giraffes, Niger ", Atlas Obscura, accessed 30 September 2022. The carvings are in height and consist of two giraffes carved into the Dabous Rock with a great amount of detail. One of the giraffes is male, while the other, smaller, is female. The Dabous Giraffes are located on a sandstone outcrop in the Ténéré desert in the first foothills of the Aïr Mountains, about 110 km north of Agadez and a few kilometres from the Trans-Saharan Highway. They are the largest known animal petroglyphs in the world.
In the surroundings, 828 images have been found engraved on the rocks, of which 704 are animals (cattle, giraffes, ostriches, antelopes, lions, rhinoceros, and camels), 61 are human, and 17 are inscriptions in Tifinagh. The carvings are believed to have been done between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago, during the African humid period, when the region was less arid, and the Sahara was a vast savannah. There are also remains of petrified wood found in the area. Dabous, Niger , The British Museum accessed 10 July 2021.
The giraffe carvings were first recorded by French archaeologist Christian Dupuy in 1987, and documented by David CoulsonCoulson, David (June 2007). Sub-Zone 3: Niger, in Rock Art of Sahara And North Africa: Thematic study , pp.45-52. ICMOS, Vancouver, accessed 10 July 2021. in 1997 while on a photographic expedition to the site.
Due to degradation of the engravings resulting from human activity, a mold was made of the engravings for display.Miller, Ritchie W. (Sept. 2000). Saving Ancient Rock Art in Niger , State Magazine, U.S. Department of State, accessed 10 July 2021. An aluminum cast of this mold is on display at the airport of Agadez. The Bradshaw Foundation is an organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of this petroglyph." Rock Art of Giraffe Dabous Niger Dated at Approximately 9,000 Years Ago ", Archaeology World, June 11, 2020, accessed 10 July 2021.
In 2022, Nikos Solounias suggested that the Dabous Giraffe petroglyphs (as well as some others in different localities) may actually represent depictions of a previously unknown species of extinct giraffe, which he named Giraffa sahara, after the Sahara region of Africa. This hypothetical species was proposed due to apparent differences in the spot patterning between the engravings and Neontology taxa. Although no bones that can be assigned to a distinct species have been discovered, Solounias suggested that they may be found in Saharan lake deposits.
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