THE PETROGLYPH UNIT. Rock art research in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt

07/11/2025

A must-have for any rock art enthusiast!

08/10/2025

Frank Förster, Maria Carmela Gatto, Paolo Medici, Paweł L**h Polkowski and Gunnar Sperveslage (eds)Current Research in the Rock Art of the Eastern Sahara. In Memory of Dirk Huyge (1957–2018). Proceedings of a Session of the 20th International Rock Art Congress IFRAO 2018 in Valcamonica, Italy[In...

13/06/2025

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26/05/2025

There are many graffiti on the monuments of the Dakhleh and Kharga oases that were carved between 1915 and 1917. One such graffito can be found in the Roman-period temple at Dayr al-Hagar.

In his lecture, Olaf Kaper will explain why this early 20th-century period is of great importance in the modern history of the oases, and shed light on the identities of those who carved their names in the monuments at this time.

👉 Visit https://gogetfunding.com/dakhleh-oasis-project-towards-a.../ to secure your ticket, and join us on 12 June 2025 for Prof. Kaper’s talk:

“The Western Front in Egypt: the Senussiyya in Dakhleh Oasis and the Western Desert in 1916.”

We look forward to seeing you online!

(Photo by O.E. Kaper)

21/05/2025

Hans Alexander Winkler, one of the pioneers of Egyptian rock art research, visited Dakhleh in the winter of 1936–1937. Among the numerous petroglyphs he later published—mostly prehistoric and dynastic in nature—there were some that he believed referred to much more recent events. These images depict people with guns, a possible flag, and “a European tent, with a British soldier sitting inside it on a chair, and near the tent a railway.” The petroglyphs, as he suggested, must have alluded to “the Senussi troubles.”

What Winkler referred to was the British–Senussi conflict of the 1910s, which will be the topic of our next DOP webinar, to be delivered by Prof. Olaf E. Kaper (Leiden University).

Want to know how the oasis became a battleground between British forces and the Senussi?

👉 Visit https://gogetfunding.com/dakhleh-oasis-project-towards-a-better-future to secure your ticket, and join us on 12 June 2025 for Prof. Kaper’s talk:

“The Western Front in Egypt: The Senussiyya in Dakhleh Oasis and the Western Desert in 1916.”

We look forward to seeing you online!

(Photo after Winkler 1939: pl. I.1)

09/04/2025

These peculiar anthropomorphic figures are a hallmark of Dakhleh rock art. Their lower bodies are consistently voluminous and emphasised. While the torsos are often reduced to their simplest forms, they sometimes feature details such as breasts, arms, or necklaces. The head may be depicted as a featureless oval, though elaborate headdresses also appear. Notably, many of these figures share one additional and highly distinctive feature: a protrusion on the belly. This element has long been the subject of scholarly debate.

To learn more, please visit https://gogetfunding.com/dakhleh-oasis-project-towards-a-better-future/, purchase a ticket, and join us for the next DOP webinar on Monday.

Photo (c) Dakhleh Oasis Project Petroglyph Unit

07/04/2025

Most of the prehistoric petroglyphs in Dakhleh depict animals, with giraffes being the most prevalent. This is striking, given that not a single bone from this species has ever been excavated at Holocene-period archaeological sites in the central Western Desert!

Giraffes can appear alone or in groups, sometimes representing entire herds. They may also be accompanied by other motifs—one of which is particularly thought-provoking. The pairing of the giraffe with this motif must have carried significance, but can we reconstruct its meaning? Do you recognise what this motif depicts?

If you find this topic interesting, we warmly invite you to join us next Monday for the first webinar of the year. By purchasing a ticket, you’ll be supporting the Dakhleh Oasis Project. Please visit https://gogetfunding.com/dakhleh-oasis-project-towards-a-better-future/, secure your spot, and join us on 14 April.

Photo: L. Krzyżaniak, (c) Dakhleh Oasis Project Petroglyph Unit

26/03/2025

The first webinar of our 2025 series, "Echoes from Dakhleh’s Past: From Prehistory to the Modern Era," will take place on 14 April at 18:00 BST / 19:00 CEST / 19:00 EET. The talk, titled "Petroglyphs, Knowledge, and Life: Insights into Prehistoric Rock Art from Dakhleh Oasis," will be delivered by Paweł Polkowski from the Poznań Archaeological Museum. Don't miss the opportunity to learn about Dakhleh rock art—donate just 3 EUR to secure your ticket for the webinar!
https://gogetfunding.com/dakhleh-oasis-project-towards-a-better-future/

25/03/2025

DOP webinars are back!

From April to December, as part of the series "Echoes from Dakhleh’s Past: From Prehistory to the Modern Era", you will have the opportunity to attend four talks by DOP researchers. The webinars will explore a wide range of topics, from prehistoric rock art (Paweł Polkowski) and late prehistoric Sheikh Muftah communities (Sarah Ricketts) to Roman archaeology at al-Qasr (Paul Kucera) and the early 20th-century British conflicts with the Senussi (Olaf Kaper).

More details coming soon!

In the meantime, we invite you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where you can watch all past DOP webinars for free!

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25/02/2025

Last week, the Dakhleh Oasis and its rock art were among the topics discussed during a UNESCO-organised meeting in Cairo. The conference focused on the scientific potential of various prehistoric sites in Egypt and Sudan, the threats they face, and the possibilities of adding them to UNESCO's tentative lists. The Dakhleh Oasis Project was represented by Paweł Polkowski.