Sefar, sometimes nicknamed “the city of stones” or “the city of Djinns,” is an ancient mysterious city lost in the heart of the Tassili n’Ajjer mountain range, in the Djanet region, over 2,400 km south of Algiers and close to the Libyan border.
Sefar is the largest troglodyte city in the world, with several thousand fossilized houses and an invaluable treasure of more than 15,000 rock drawings and engravings dating back to the Neolithic period, earning it the nickname of the mysterious city of Djinns.
This makes Sefar the largest open-air prehistoric art museum in the world, nestled in the great Algerian Sahara, housing several tens of thousands of drawings, engravings, and rock paintings.
Discovered in the 1950s by the French explorer and prehistorian Henri Lhote, some of these rock paintings are believed to date back over 8,000 years.
They depict animals, hunting scenes, daily life, and enigmatic figures that ignite the imagination and baffle even the most knowledgeable researchers.
Indeed, the representation of mysterious creatures with strange shapes and extraterrestrial appearances can be found here. The most well-known among them are “The Great God,” “The Black Archer,” “The Martians,” “Round Heads,” “The Chariots,” “Swimmers with Horns,” and “Women with Masks.”
The masterpieces of Sefar allow us to trace and reconstruct climatic changes, the migrations of wildlife, and the evolution of human life on the fringes of the Sahara over a period spanning from around 6000 BC to the early centuries of our era.
The drawings showcase various species, such as giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, ostriches, antelopes, hippopotamuses, and other species that have been extinct in the region for thousands of years.
Sefar has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1982; however, very few travelers visit due to its geographical remoteness and the challenges in accessing the site.
Indeed, there are no roads, and the only way to cross the pass leading to the Tassili N’Ajjer plateau is by following a steep path on foot. The ascent is challenging and requires good physical fitness, stamina, sturdy hiking shoes, and, if possible, a walking stick.
Having been closed to travelers and tourists for several years, the troglodyte city of Sefar, lost in an expanse of dunes, reopened to visitors in November 2021.
Article updated on 19 October 2024
