Twyfelfontein - Location and Description

Location and Description

Twyfelfontein is situated in the Huab valley of the Mount Etjo formation in southern Kunene Region of Namibia, an area formerly known as Damaraland. The rocks containing the art work are situated in a valley flanked by the slopes of a sandstone table mountain. An underground aquifer on an impermeable layer of shale sustains a spring in this otherwise very dry area. The name Twyfelfontein refers to the spring itself, to the valley containing the spring, and in the context of traveling and tourism also to a greater area containing nearby tourist attractions: the rock engravings, the Organ Pipes, Burnt Mountain, Doros crater, and the Petrified Forest. The World Heritage Site covers the area of rock engravings.

The area is a transitional zone between semi desert, savanna, and shrubland and receives less than 150 mm (5.9 in) annual rainfall. Diurnal temperatures vary from 10 to 28 °C (50 to 82 °F) in the winter month of July and 21 to 35 °C (70 to 95 °F) in the summer month of November.

Twyfelfontein lies 20 km (12 mi) south of the C39 major road from Sesfontein to Khorixas. From there it is connected by the district road D3214. The Twyfelfontein Country Lodge features a gravel airstrip. The lodge, camp site, visitor's centre and most of the other tourist facilities are managed as a joint venture between the lodge owners and the Twyfelfontein-Uibasen Conservancy.

The rock art area consists of fourteen smaller sites that have been introduced by Scherz in his initial site survey. They are still used to describe the location of artworks in Twyfelfontein:

Site number Site name Coordinates Important contents
1 Nördlich des Zeremonienplatzes 20°33′53″S 14°21′52″E / 20.56472°S 14.36444°E / -20.56472; 14.36444
  • 65 engravings
  • 2 large giraffes with a fine–pecked infill
2 Zeremonienplatz 20°34′15″S 14°22′11″E / 20.57083°S 14.36972°E / -20.57083; 14.36972
  • more than 175 engravings
  • cave with rock paintings
  • rare engravings of hand prints
3 Die Sieben Tafeln 20°34′27″S 14°22′38″E / 20.57417°S 14.37722°E / -20.57417; 14.37722
  • 150–175 engravings
  • 2 superimpositioned engravings
  • 4–toed human foot print and one parent–child grouping
4 Die Sieben Tafeln Outlier 20°34′35″S 14°22′34″E / 20.57639°S 14.37611°E / -20.57639; 14.37611
  • 2 giraffe in excellent condition
  • rough work, possibly jackal
5 Hasenblock 20°34′45″S 14°22′23″E / 20.57917°S 14.37306°E / -20.57917; 14.37306
  • 40 engravings and 30 paintings
  • 18 human pictures in different postures
  • horned kudu bull with giraffe legs
6 Twyfelfontein Main Site Complex 20°34′27″S 14°22′38″E / 20.57417°S 14.37722°E / -20.57417; 14.37722
  • Symbolfelsen with geometric imagery
  • red pigment rock paintings
7 The Boulder Field 20°35′41″S 14°22′21″E / 20.59472°S 14.37250°E / -20.59472; 14.37250
  • 120 rock engravings, over 200 cupules
  • ostrich depiction joined to equid by a pecked line
8 Die große Wohnfläche 20°35′36″S 14°22′30″E / 20.59333°S 14.37500°E / -20.59333; 14.37500
  • 50 rock engravings, 43 rock paintings, 70 pieces of geometric imagery
  • dancing kudu ("Fabeltier")
9 Die südliche Wohnfläche 20°35′50″S 14°22′31″E / 20.59722°S 14.37528°E / -20.59722; 14.37528
  • 250 rock engravings, 40 pieces of geometric imagery
  • giraffe with three waving lines attached to its head
  • Riesenblock with sitting giraffe
10 Die rechte Talseite 20°35′51″S 14°22′30″E / 20.59750°S 14.37500°E / -20.59750; 14.37500
  • 75 rock engravings on 15 slabs
  • Löwenplatte with Lion Man
11 Die linke Talseite 20°35′54″S 14°22′31″E / 20.59833°S 14.37528°E / -20.59833; 14.37528
  • 150 rock engravings on 30 slabs, approximately 24 pieces of geometric imagery
  • Affenplatte with an engraved pecked-infill human figure
  • Halbmondplatte with sitting giraffe
  • giant elephant and rhino
12 Der Westliche Berghang 20°35′53″S 14°22′29″E / 20.59806°S 14.37472°E / -20.59806; 14.37472
  • Carstenplatte with several pecked animal engravings
13 Am Fuß des Westlichen Berghangs 20°35′52″S 14°22′26″E / 20.59778°S 14.37389°E / -20.59778; 14.37389
  • 120 engravings on 10 rock blocks
  • Spoor rock with several animal footprints and a 7–toed feline
14 Beim Großen Malereiblock 20°35′56″S 14°22′23″E / 20.59889°S 14.37306°E / -20.59889; 14.37306
  • 20 engravings and 25 paintings in a cave–like overhang structure
  • best–preserved paintings in the valley
15 Beim Großen Malereiblock Outlier 20°35′58″S 14°22′13″E / 20.59944°S 14.37028°E / -20.59944; 14.37028
  • engraved cluster with animal spoor and cupules

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