Twyfelfontein
Sign in to saveTwyfelfontein (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
- Khorixas Constituency
- Settlement.unit_pref
- Imperial
- Settlement.area_land_km2
- 0.574
- Settlement.area_water_km2
- 0
- Settlement.timezone
- South African Standard Time
- Settlement.utc_offset
- +1
- Settlement.elevation_m
- 550
- UNESCO World Heritage Site.child
- yes
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
8 sectionsContents
- History
- Location and description
- Artworks
- Archaeology
- Site protection and recognition
- References and literature
- References
- Literature
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.
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.