Somaliland: The cave paintings of Laas Geel
On the road in the rough terrain of the peaceful north of Somalia
As the only tourists far and wide, my travel companion Marco and I get countless stares and more attention than we would like. We are at the Togo-Wujaale border crossing between Ethiopia and Somaliland and enter Somaliland within minutes.
A crowd of people quickly forms. Everyone is fighting over who will now drive us to the capital Hargeisa. Only through the diplomatic intervention of the border official the fisticuffs are ended, and we sit in a shared cab.
However, shared cabs in Africa do not leave as soon as all seats are occupied, but only when the cars are so full that the air to breathe becomes scarce. Therefore, we have to wait for an hour until six additional passengers are found.
At the Ethiopia-Somaliland border
We pass several military checkpoints, and our passports are thoroughly checked. According to our driver, this is to prevent militant groups from finding their way into the big cities. Eventually, at what feels like the hundredth passport check, an officer takes our IDs and asks us to come along.
A queasy feeling spreads through us. We enter a locked house and are led into a back room. Several soldiers are standing around a desk behind which an elderly lady is sitting.
Difficult backroom negotiations
We are told to pay a fee of about 200 euros to be allowed to continue our journey and to get our passports back. Our driver starts to argue with the officers, but we are supposed to pay to no avail.
Then I remembered that I still had a document from the Somali embassy in Addis Ababa in my pocket, which clearly stated that we had already paid for the visa. The officials doubt the document's accuracy, but we persevere and get our passports back. Finally, after a long journey and complex negotiations, we arrive in Hargeisa.
Neolithic cave paintings
In the early 2000s, a team of researchers outside Hargeisa made a historic find: Laas Geel - Neolithic cave paintings hidden in rocks, caves, and small stone niches, made between 9000 and 3000 BC. These cave paintings are among the earliest works on the African continent.
When leaving Hargeisa as a tourist to travel deeper into the interior, it is obligatory to be guarded. So we hire a soldier as a bodyguard for 20 US dollars a day. This is unnecessary because there isn’t an acute danger, but because Somaliland wants to achieve the official independence status as a state and prevent possible incidents, explains our driver to Laas Geel.
Guardian Angel at Laas Geel
The Rock
The bumpy journey takes us over gravel roads and rough terrain past camels and cacti until we feel far from civilization. Arriving at a tiny white house with blue shutters, an old man in a dusty uniform stumbles out and proudly presents us with a book to sign. Flipping through the pages, I find almost 20 names of Austrians who have visited Laas Geel in the last five years.
Max in the cave
Laas Geel is basically a collection of rocks and caves in the middle of the Somali desert. But these inconspicuous rocks contain valuable drawings of animals and are the best-preserved cave paintings from the Neolithic period.
The old man hustles with us among the rocks and gives us a glimpse into the history of Laas Geel. The detail and vibrant colors, which withstood the elements for thousands of years, are impressive. In between, I let my eyes wander over the surrounding rugged landscape. Words fail me. This place is a hidden treasure and makes me dream of even more undiscovered gems in this world.
Just wow.
View from The Rock
Back in Hargeisa, we collect impressions at every corner. The market has a dusty, hectic atmosphere.
And it’s hot as well
The exchange offices are imposing - if you can call them that: Men on chairs surrounded by gigantic stacks of Somaliland shillings. Fishing nets secure the hot goods well. For 100 euros, we get heaps of local currency.
Bureau d’exchange Somali-style
No street crossing without being greeted in a friendly manner, having "America" called after us or people wanting to shake our hand. At no time do we feel really endangered or unsafe. The last attack in Somaliland was more than ten years ago, and the current situation here is far more stable and secure than in the south of the country. But what would a visit to the Horn of Africa be without a stop in Mogadishu? Somalia sees me again. (2017)
