GRAVURES RUPESTRES DE ZACCAR

Less than an hour's drive from Djelfa, in the Ouled Naïl mountains, the Zaccar site was discovered in 1907 and classified as a national heritage site in 1982. With 37 rock engravings, it is one of the most important stations in the wilaya of Djelfa, which boasts over 1,160.

The rock shelters contain representations of animals from the Bubaline period (8,000 to 6,000 BC): elephants, ostriches, small camels, mouflons...

The most famous work is the representation, inside a vaulted wall of the shelter, of a hartebeest antelope attacked by a lion. The drawing of the large (76 cm) hartebeest is precise and perfectly depicts the antelope's anatomy, with details of stylized horns and hooves. The animal is shown in profile, in agony, with its front legs tucked under its body and its head raised in pain. Behind him, the lion is smaller and coarser. It can be recognized by its mane and clawed paws. Other figurations of lesser importance adorn the wall.

Access to the rock shelter, protected by a gate, is via a small paved path that cuts through the desert landscape and the wadi. Further on, on the other side of a hill that has to be climbed, is an engraving of a rhinoceros. The remains of an ancient Berber village can also be seen. It's best to come accompanied by someone who knows the site.