Niola Doa is in the northern part of the Ennedi Plateau which is located at the north-eastern corner of Chad.  “Niola Doa” means “maidens’ rocks” in the local language.  Niola Doa is a basin surrounded by rocky mountains. Rocks of various shapes are dotted on the sandy ground.

The engravings unique to Niola Doa are on the flat surfaces of these rocks. Big human figures, sometimes over two meters and fully filled with geometric figures, are curved on the rocks. They look naked and they have very big buttocks but no indication of sex although they were called “Prehistoric dancing maidens” when they were introduced to the outside world in 1956. They always hold a stick over the shoulder and this looks like a posture of cattle herders. Next to these big human figures, sometimes smaller human figures with skirts are depicted.

The most well accomplished engraving is called “the French Panel” as it was found by a French army officer in 1954. There are some other sites with same type of engravings but they are all located within a small area of Niola Doa. The exact dating of these engravings is unknown, but the most prevalent theory indicates “Pastoral Neolithic”.　(February 2018)

Where to find Niola Doa