Rock Art: The painted chambers of Laas Geel

The team carried out the high-resolution 3D documentation of the painted chambers at Laas Geel: a complex of 22 rock shelters containing some of the earliest known rock art in the region, dating back to an estimated 5,000 years and remarkably preserved. Despite the remarkable condition of the paintings in Laas Geel, both human and natural changes require condition monitoring, new documentation skills and proper infrastructure to preserve the integrity of the site. The Somaliland Government, through its Ministry of Tourism, and the Redsea Cultural Foundation are focused on ensuring this happens.

In close collaboration with Dr. Jama Musse Jama, director of the Hargeysa Cultural Centre, Factum Foundation recorded seven individual caves using LiDAR, photogrammetry and panoramic composite photography. The complete 3D and colour datasets of Laas Geel, Dhagax Kure and Dhagax Marode were handed to the Hargeysa Cultural Centre, to ensure the high-resolution data stays in the country. It will be shared with the Somaliland authorities when it is fully processed.

As part of Factum Foundation’s policy on data ownership, the data belongs to the Somaliland authorities for all current and future applications. It will serve as an invaluable resource for monitoring the condition of the rock sites. This project will hopefully encourage further international interest and support, in a way that will ensure the site’s long-term physical preservation, while its historical importance will become more freely available – both online and offline.

The recording was complemented by a transfer of skills in 3D recording and the hardware and software required. Factum Foundation’s mission is to establish training programmes to develop the skills needed/indispensable for the successful documentation of vulnerable cultural sites and objects.

© Otto Lowe for Factum Foundation

We wish to thank Ambassador Nicolas Berlanga, EU Ambassador to Somalia, for the support he gave to this initiative.