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Wadi Sura - The Cave of Beasts. A rock art site in the Gilf Kebir (SW-Egypt), by RUDOLPH KUPER. In collaboration with Franziska Bartz, Erik Büttner, Frank Darius, Frank Förster, Lutz Hermsdorf-Knauth, Sabine Krause, Hans Leisen, Heiko Riemer, Jürgen Seidel and András Zboray. 2013. Africa Praehistorica 26. Heinrich-Barth-Institut, Köln, 545 full colour pages, numerous figures, tables and maps, 2 folded plates, 24 x 34 cm, 4.3 kg, hardcover and half linen-bound, euro85.00 plus postage, ISBN 978-3-927688-40-7.
It has always been my deep regret, being far too occupied with rock art research and other archaeological work in and near the Egyptian Nile Valley, that I have never been able to visit some of the rock art sites in the Sahara proper. Indeed, my good friend Salima Ikram has kindly given me the occasion to see some wonderful rock art, including rare historical cave paintings, at Ain Amur near Kharga Oasis in 2007, but I have never been beyond that point in the field - barely 250 km west of the Nile Valley. And certainly, the Tassili n'Ajjer, the Tadrart Acacus Mountains and Jebel Uweinat are musts on the itinerary of anyone who is a rock art aficionado. I will probably keep postponing these visits until it is too late ... . But, now, there is this book on Wadi Sura ('Valley of the Pictures' in Arabic) in Gilf Kebir in the Egyptian part of the Libyan Desert. Without anticipating my review below, let me announce it loudly and clearly: browsing through it is the next best thing to being on the spot, and, in some ways, maybe even better. I am not sure if I will ever see the 'Cave of Beasts' with my own eyes, but I have the feeling that I can rest my head in peace: I have been 'there'! Few other rock art books would be able to give that impression.
The name of the 'Cave of Beasts' should ring a bell for anyone who is even vaguely interested in north African rock art. The cave, rather an open rockshelter, or an abri sous roche as French-speaking colleagues would term it, was discovered in May 2002 by the Italian desert travellers Massimo and Jacopo Foggini. Its official site designation is Wadi Sura...