Kondoa rock paintings
| Rock art sites in Kondoa | |
|---|---|
UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Tanzania
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | iii, vi |
| Surface: | 233,600 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1183 |
| UNESCO region : | Africa |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2006 (session 30) |
The rock paintings of Kondoa are a collection of petroglyphs in the district of Kondoa in Tanzania . They are found in a series of hills that form the western slopes of the African Rift Valley and look down on the Maasai steppe . The main road Dodoma - Arusha passes in the valley about 10 km east . Since 2006, the paintings are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage listed.
Several hundred caves and rock overhangs are known, in which drawings can be found. They have not yet been systematically researched. The first investigations go back to Louis Leakey in the 1930s. His assumption, expressed at the time, that the oldest drawings are several thousand years old, was subsequently questioned. In the meantime, however, there seems to be a consensus that the tradition is significantly older than 1500 years. There is no reliable information about the age of the most recent paintings.
Under the direction of Ludwig and Margit Kohl-Larsen, an expedition to Africa took place from 1934 to 1936, supported by funds from the German Research Community. Numerous rock carvings have been taken around Lake Tanganyika. The Sun Cave, the Mumba Cave, the Jindaga Cave, Issanuland, the Dome Cave, the Kininngo Cave, the Kirmi Wall, the Drum Caves, the Strauss Cave, the Mkirampire Wall, the Kongoni Wall, Giraffe Balm, Mugunza Wall, the Thorn Bush Wall, the Small Mutelefanten Wall were found as sites. the antelope wall, east and west balm, Kibokobalm, Kisaanabalm, the place where Mssensemo was found, Löwenbalm, the Kaka cave, Kongonibalm, Kirondabalm, the Kenkangombewand, Elefantenbalm, the Rune Niche, the Vilamkonowand, the Barrier Cave, the Hyena Cave, the Sturm, Guruibwand , Singindabalm, the Guilewand, the Mtorowand, Mangasitabalm, the Ssandauwehöhle, Lakozebalm, the river cave, the Elemasawand, the Malamandahöhle, the Bubuhöhle, the Komarohöhle and the Mridjohöhle examined. The number of sites alone suggests that there is a large number of petroglyphs and paintings. In addition to depictions of animals, people and plants, there are also abstract symbols as motifs. The original drawings are in the Prehistory and Protohistory Institute of the University of Tübingen.
Many sites are associated with Hadza and Sandawe rituals still practiced today .
In Kolo known has paleoanthropologists family Leakey established in the 1970s, a small visitor center, which has now been adopted by the Tanzanian Antiquities. This has also hired guides, and local committees look after the sites.
literature
- Mary Leakey : Africa's Vanishing Art. The Rock Paintings of Tanzania. Doubleday, Garden City NY 1983, ISBN 0-385-18968-0 .
- Ludwig Kohl-Larsen / Margit Kohl-Larsen : The picture route of East Africa - rock art in Tanganyika. Eisenach-Kassel, 1958.
Web links
Heritage: Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara (1981) | Stone City of Zanzibar (2000) | Condoa Rock Art Sites (2006)
Natural heritage: Serengeti National Park (1981) | Selous Game Reserve (1982, R ) | Kilimanjaro National Park (1987)
Cultural / Natural Heritage: Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1979)
Coordinates: 4 ° 43 ′ 28 ″ S , 35 ° 50 ′ 2 ″ E