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Gilf al-Kebir: Sailing amidst the Great Sand Sea
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Gilf al-Kebir, the Great Barrier or, “damned remote.”
Apt descriptions for rugged escarpments straddling Egypt, Libya, the Sudan and surrounded by a sea of sand even the hardiest of nomads avoid.
Getting there and back can take up to three weeks and requires a fully loaded, off-road expedition caravan, complete with satellite phone and GPS navigation equipment. Going without an expert guide is not an option.
The physical ability to endure blindingly hot days, bone chilling nights and an empty, isolated kind of quiet only other desert travelers can truly understand, is also recommended.
Some might say, why bother?
Those who do bother, are keen to explore British World War II logistical operations sites and gawk at still-visible 70-year old tire tracks. Other explorers prefer the rugged geographical features that include numerous meteor craters pitting the area. It’s been speculated that these craters may even be linked to the yellow-green silica glass fragments used in King Tut’s famous pectoral ornament.
A few travelers simply endure for the reward of seeing Neolithic petroglyphs that show Gilf al-Kebir’s ancient environment. At one time, this trackless waste teemed with animals, plants, flowing rivers and lakes. Early man also hunted and gathered here, leaving his artistic remains scattered throughout the various rock overhangs for future explorers to find.
The imprints show swimmers, hunters and handprints along with animals such as giraffes, dogs and lions. Even a strange headless beast, animal in shape, but possessing human legs, can be seen. Researchers are still attempting to decipher its true meaning although some have guessed at supposed afterlife.
The Great Sand Sea was discovered in the 1870s but the area’s extreme isolation helped ensure these petroglyph sites wouldn’t be found until at least the 20th century. Only the most truly daring were brave enough to push into and survive, such a remote area.
Some of the richest concentrations of petroglyphs are located in the eastern valleys of Karkur Talh, discovered in 1923 by Ahmed Hassanein Pasha, while the famous Cave of Swimmers, was discovered in 1932 by the Hungarian explorer Count Laszlo Almasy.
In 2003, a search expedition uncovered yet more painted caves in the Gilf al-Kebir’s western sites
The Great Barrier’s remote isolation helps ensure that only the most intrepid tourists visit although the Darfur problems deterred some enthusiasts. Nevertheless, continuing popularity from The English Patient movie and a reputation for being the extreme of extreme desert treks, have left their marks. Flash photography and water spritzing from earlier travelers (done to make the figures stand out) have faded the paintings. In the Cave of Swimmers, the imprints are now cracked and peeling.
Yet with some luck and a better, preservation-minded attitude, the newly discovered sites may yet escape this fate.
Other resources:
• Libyan Desert Rock Art
• Cosmos: People followed the rains in ancient Sahara
• BBC News: World War II army bag found in desert
• Egypt Today: A Gilf Kebir safari is the most extreme of extreme desert treks
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