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Article: Africa's hidden rock art: David Coulson travels deep into the Sahara to Algeria's Ajjer Plateau to document some of Africa's most impressive and immense rock art.(African Rock Art)
- Article from:
- Geographical
- Article date:
- February 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Circle Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Out in the middle of the Sahara Desert, in the Algeria's southeast, a three-metre-long oblong rock that resembles a massive grand piano lies balanced just above the ground on some smaller stones. Into its upper surface have been ground some 30 depressions, while three much deeper cavities have been etched into its end.
The rock is called Toneynek tan Korombi, or the Stone of Korombi. It's a rock gong through which local people believe the spirits communicate, divining the future, telling of war, when to expect rains and harvests, and the whereabouts of lost livestock. Although no-one knows who made it, the elders still know how to operate it and interpret its ...