VINTAGE STAMPS (1967-1983)
Tassili n'Ajeer (2,158 m - 7,080 ft)
Algeria- Lybia - Niger
1 & 2. In Tassili n 'Ajjer, Algérie 2. 80 and Algérie 0,50 (1983)
3. In Touraegs du Tassili, Postes Algérie, 0,70 (1967)
Courtesy mountainstamps.com
Tassili n'Ajjer (2,158 m - 7,080 ft) literally Plateau of the Rivers) is a heavily eroded sandstone rock formation in the Sahara desert, located on a vast plateau that encompasses southeastern Algeria, western Libya and northern Niger. It features over 300 rock arches, dense clusters of eroded sandstone rock pillars, and steep cliffs and gorges, where water pools permanently at the surface.
Tassili n'Ajjer covers an area of over 72,000 km2 (28,000 sq mi) and stands over 1000 m high with a culminating summit, Adrar Afao, at (2,158 m - 7,080 ft)
The plateau is also of great geological and aesthetic interest, as the panorama of geological formations of "rock forests" of eroded sandstone resembles a strange lunar landscape.
The rock formation is an archaeological site, noted for its numerous prehistoric parietal works of rock art, first reported in 1910, that date to the early Neolithic era at the end of the last glacial period during which the Sahara was an inhabitable savanna rather than the current desert. Although sources vary considerably, the earliest pieces of art are assumed to be 12,000 years old, the vast majority dates to the 9th and 10th millennia BP or younger, according to OSL dating of associated sediments. Among the 15,000 engravings so far identified depicted are large wild animals including antelopes and crocodiles, cattle herds and humans that engage in activities such as hunting and dancing. According to UNESCO, "The exceptional density of paintings and engravings... have made Tassili world famous." The archaeological site has been designated a national park, a Biosphere Reserve (cypresses) and was induced into UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as Tassili n'Ajjer National Park.