Twyfelfontein

Twyfelfontein (Afrikaans: uncertain spring), officially known as ǀUi-ǁAis (Damara/Nama: jumping waterhole), is a site of ancient rock engravings in the Kunene Region of north-western Namibia. It consists of a spring in a valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone table mountain that receives very little rainfall and has a wide range of diurnal temperatures.

Key facts

Settlement.name: Twyfelfontein
Settlement.image_skyline: 250px|alt=A sandstone slab in horizontal position, cracked in about half. The front piece features engravings of two antelopes. Four circles overlay the slab, two attached to the left antelope which probably depicts a Kudu, and two near the left antelope.A sandstone slab at Twyfelfontein. The animals are the older engravings, overlaid by the circles.
Settlement.pushpin_map: Namibia
Settlement.pushpin_label_position: bottom
Settlement.pushpin_mapsize: 235
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location in Namibia
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Region
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Kunene Region
Settlement.subdivision_type2: Constituency
Settlement.subdivision_name2

~14 min read

Article

8 sections

Contents

History
Location and description
Artworks
Archaeology
Site protection and recognition
References and literature
References
Literature

The site has been inhabited for 6,000 years, first by hunter-gatherers and later by Khoikhoi herders. Both ethnic groups used it as a place of worship and a site to conduct shamanist rituals. In the process of these rituals at least 2,500 items of rock carvings have been created, as well as a few rock paintings. Displaying one of the largest concentrations of rock petroglyphs in Africa, UNESCO approved Twyfelfontein as Namibia's first World Heritage Site in 2007.