Archaeological excavations in Sahara. Africa reveals living millennia of green Sahara Excavations in the desert

It is no secret to many that the north of ancient Africa in the past was a fairly fertile area. WITH a large number rivers, both crossing the current territory of the Sahara Desert and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic.

Map 1688 Clickable.

Could medieval cartographers have been wrong when they drew this? Or did they copy everything from one more ancient source?
But whether this unknown North Africa existed in ancient times, or in times closer to us, is not so important for now. Moreover, it is difficult to say when such climate change and accumulation of such amounts of sand occurred. I will dwell on the question of where there is so much sand in the Sahara. And how did it happen, what kind of processes took place, that now this place is a lifeless desert?

Official science says that the Sahara was once the bottom of a huge ancient ocean. Even whale skeletons are found there:

Excavations in Eastern Sahara.
Thirty-seven million years ago, a 15-meter flexible beast with a huge mouth and sharp teeth died and sank to the bottom of the ancient Tethys Ocean.

And the age of the whale was invented and the ancient ocean has a name. If we dwell on this fact in more detail, then I have the following question for the scientific world: in 37 million years, how thick should the soil cover accumulate over the skeleton? Officially, the average soil growth rate is 1-2 mm per year. It turns out that in 37 million years the skeleton must be at a depth of at least 37 km! Even allowing for various erosions, erosion and swelling of rocks, uplifting of the earth's crust - with such an age it is impossible to find skeletons on the surface.
In Egypt there is even the Valley of the Whales, which is included by UNESCO in the list of sites with World Heritage status:

Wadi al-Hitan: Valley of the Whale in Egypt. They write that even the stomach contents of some samples were preserved. This means that not everyone is in a skeletal state, but in a mummified or petrified state. Of course, they won't show this to us.

Remains of other animals found in Wadi al-Hitan - sharks, crocodiles, sawfish, turtles and rays

So how could whale skeletons end up on the desert surface? Following this path, the skeletons of dinosaurs are not completely ancient, at least 65 million years old. Their skeletons are also found on the surface of other deserts, in the Gobi, Atacama (Chile), for example.

Many readers probably already guess about my answer. The whale (or its remains) was brought here by a flood, water from the ocean. Using the source link, you can look at the photo (it’s small, I didn’t post it) of a shell rock, right there in the desert.

Below I want to show some photos of space images from Google Earth:

The territory of the Sahara is not entirely covered with sand. But we are presented with an image of this desert: continuous sands, dunes with rare rocky massifs.

For example, the following plateaus with a rocky desert landscape are often found:

Libya. Link

From above, these places appear to be like this spot-hill, surrounded by sands:

And somewhere there are endless sands and dunes:

But where did so much sand come from across most of the Sahara? In addition to the official version of “the bottom of the Tethys ocean”, there are fantastic ones, like V. Kondratov’s version in his films: Fabric of the Universe. Mine And

In his opinion, all this sand is dumps from the processing of underwater ores by giant alien mechanisms and the dumping of soil from their aircraft. I will not defend or refute this version, but will put forward my own, within the framework of one of the topics of this blog - the flood and its manifestations.

First, let's look at some landscapes of the Sahara that few people know about:

Egyptian desert

Do you think it's somewhere in North America? You're wrong, this is the Sahara, landscapes in Mali. 21° 59" 1.68" N 5° 0" 35.15" W

This is Chad. 16° 52" 24.00" N 21° 35" 31.00" E

There are a lot of such remains

Mali. Link

These rock masses are composed of sedimentary rocks. Their tops are flat

This is what this place looks like from above:

These are remnants close to the surface. It can be seen that these are remnants, islands from an ancient surface. What happened to the rest of the territory? And the rest of the soil was carried away by the flood when the wave passed through the continent. All the washed away soil is the sands of the Sahara. Soil, rocks, washed by water erosion of the flow of grains of sand to grains of sand.

IN this place There are these traces of erosion. But they are parallel, as if washed by streams of water. Maybe this is true?

And here, too, there are the same “furrows” going to the northeast (or southwest). Link

Of course, a possible version of their formation is the deposition of erosion products along the wind rose.

But upon closer inspection, it is clear that these grooves in the rock could only be made by water erosion:

Traces of erosion on a rocky hill

This is my conclusion about the origin of the sands of the Sahara Desert.
But in the process of creating this material, another conclusion emerged. It is possible that mud and mudflow masses emerged from the depths during one event. But more about that next time...

Around 9,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, parts of what is now the Sahara Desert experienced a very humid climate. For several thousand years this "green Sahara" was home to many domestic and wild animals, as well as people. In 2000, a burial area was discovered in Niger containing hundreds of skeletons from two different archaeological cultures, each dating back thousands of years. In addition to human skeletons, hunting tools, fragments of ceramics, and animal and fish bones were found in the burials.

This dinosaur skeleton, found in Agadez (Niger), was presented to the country of Niger by paleontologist Paul Sereno at a ceremony to mark the end of a five-year civil war. This creature with the body of a dinosaur and the head of a crocodile is about 110 million years old.

Human skeleton with the middle finger inserted into the mouth.
Average daily temperature in this part Sahara desert(49 degrees) is far from the times of the “green Sahara” 4-9 thousand years ago.

Men from one of the local tribes of Niger dancing and singing at the annual festival. Representatives of this tribe may be descendants of those who lived in these places many thousands of years ago, during the existence of the “green Sahara”.

Aerial view of the camp by a small group of archaeologists excavating among the huge sand dunes in the completely deserted region of the Sahara. Looking at these places, it’s hard to believe that thousands of years ago everything here was surrounded by greenery.

Nigerian Army Soldiers, hired to protect archaeologists from a possible attack by bandits, are overseeing the excavation of an old skeleton, which is about 6 thousand years old. In this region of the Sahara, archaeologists have found many skeletons, tools, weapons, pottery shards and jewelry.

Six thousand years ago there were mother and two children buried. They lie in the grave holding hands. Someone carefully placed flowers at their head and at their feet, traces of which were discovered by scientists. How exactly these people died remains unclear.

Frequent sandstorms, whose speed reaches 30 miles per hour, greatly interfere with the work of archaeologists, falling asleep and destroying skeletons.

One of the best-preserved skeletons, lying in the sand for 6 thousand years, looks as if it was buried quite recently. The position of the skeleton suggests that the person was buried in a sleeping position.

Archaeologists are examining the skeleton of a woman who died at the age of twenty.

This man was buried with a pot on his head. Among the grave goods, archaeologists also found crocodile bones and wild boar tusks.

This 8,000-year-old rock carving of a giraffe is considered one of the best petroglyphs in the world. The giraffe is depicted with a leash on its nose, which implies the domestication of these animals by people. This image was discovered relatively recently on the top of Granite Hill by local Tuaregs.

These two skeletons are almost perfectly preserved and were found at the very beginning of the excavation process. The skeleton on the left was found with the middle finger inserted into its mouth. The skeleton on the right was buried in a grave where bones from a previous burial had been pushed to the side.

Interestingly, ancient sands can store information about the last time they “saw” light. To explore the original bottom former lake, it is necessary to carry out excavations on a moonless night. Optical luminescent studies of sand carried out in a US laboratory proved that the bottom of this lake was formed 15,000 years ago during the last ice age.

Without understanding the text, French scientists nevertheless compiled a translation. In truth, it was an outright “fake”, which was discovered by the Russian academician, the first Moscow archivist Gerhard Miller. In July 1734, he personally visited the unique temple of Ablainkita and described its premises in detail. And also amazing drawings, plot compositions, images of multi-headed and multi-armed male figures, naked female bodies... I also admired two miniature smelting furnaces. Perhaps with their help in the old days gold, silver or bronze figurines of Buddhist deities were made. These were the ones that usually stood in the yurts of nomads opposite the entrance.

...Their state arose in the 10th century in the Gobi Desert, the climate in which at that time was much milder than now. The city of Khara-Khoto (in Tangut - Idzin-ai), located in the valley of the Etsing-gola River, was captured by Genghis Khan in 1227, but did not set it on fire and plunder. Almost two centuries later, in 1405, a Chinese army entered this flourishing oasis. Having broken the resistance of the inhabitants, it destroyed the local irrigation systems, which was tantamount to the destruction of the city. And he died. He was forgotten for several centuries.

But finally, traces of ancient irrigation systems appeared, and they began to come across Buddhist stupas- monumental and places of worship for storing relics. Soon, walls with protruding towers and domed buildings loomed above the sea of ​​sand. The horsemen rode into a lifeless city. Having set up camp, they began to explore the fortress. There was a gap in one of the walls through which a horseman could easily pass. Wasn't it mentioned in folk legend?
In ancient years, many caravan roads converged near Khara-Khoto, and life was in full swing here. Excavations confirmed this.

The travelers were delighted with the finds: silk paintings, scraps of ancient manuscripts and books, coins, fragments of statues made of beautifully polished rock crystal. There were even bundles of ancient, probably the world's first, paper money with hieroglyphs and red seals. General Kozlov sent a report to the capital about everything he saw and about the numerous finds. He hoped that in Russian Geographical Society he will be allowed to change the expedition plan.

Of course, it was necessary to stay here, because the excavations in ancient city were very superficial. However, such permission was not forthcoming, and the caravan moved on.

In August 1908, the caravan reached Lake Kukunor. Kozlov walked away from the camp and, lost in thought, sat on the shore for a long time. It was here that Nikolai Przhevalsky’s camp stood thirty-five years ago. As then, the waves of the lake splashed and the surf roared monotonously. A letter from St. Petersburg caught up with the expedition in the Guide oasis: “Don’t spare any effort, time, or money for further excavations of Khara-Khoto.” The head of the expedition was pleased, but it was not worth returning to the Gobi Desert in winter, and Kozlov headed to the northeastern corner of the Tibetan Plateau, to the mysterious country of Amdo. There, the expedition members had to fight off armed attacks from local tribes and sleep without letting go of their weapons. Many times their lives hung in the balance, and the travelers happily left this unkind country to return to Khara-Khoto and continue excavations there.

The real treasure was discovered in one of the suburgans, away from the fortress, on the bank of a dry river. There were many books, manuscripts, almost three hundred picturesque images on canvas, silk and paper, skillfully woven tapestries, bronze and gilded figurines of deities with unusually expressive faces, coins, silver and gold jewelry, various utensils... The dry climate of the desert preserved all these priceless for the history of the treasure. Work was interrupted only in the heat of the day, when one could get burned on the stones, and unexpected whirlwinds raised clouds of dust.

...Petr Kozlov managed to get to Khara-Khoto again only in 1926, and upon arriving at the place, he did not find the things he had hidden the last time. Apparently, the spirits of the desert changed their minds about giving them away. But the collection taken out on the first expedition turned out to be so large that its research took many years. There were almost two thousand books and manuscripts alone! Experts in ancient writing, Mongol scholars, archaeologists and numismatists have worked for years to study the collection. Kozlov's findings made it possible to draw many important conclusions and decipher mysterious texts. As it turned out, the ancient Mongol legend about the forgotten kingdom of Xi-Xia was based on very real facts of the history of Central Asia.

Chinese patterns in the middle of the desert

In 2011, users of the Google Earth virtual service discovered satellite images unidentified objects right in the middle of the sands of the Gobi Desert in the area Chinese provinces Xinjiang and Gansu. At first, amateurs considered the discovery to be paranormal markings, similar to geoglyphs from the fields of England, which have attracted particular attention from ufologists since the 1970s. Some of the Gobi drawings turned out to be the outlines of large buildings, but a significant part of the strange compositions of white lines imprinted on the surface of the earth remained unsolved for a long time. What seemed especially mysterious was that these patterns were very large in size and were located in rather remote and practically lifeless areas. Some of the designs stretch from 800 meters to 2.5 kilometers in length!

The answer turned out to be not as sensational as many would have liked. These drawings in the middle of the Chinese desert once served as markings for spy satellites so that spacecraft could navigate and calibrate their lenses using them. Having at their disposal data on the distances and angles of specific sections of giant patterns, satellite pilots could compare their other calculations with them and correct the focusing of cameras. By the way, these satellites were not secret, and such a practice is not so unique for China. A similar system of satellite interaction with landmarks has existed in the Casa Grande, Arizona area since the 1960s.

Ancient Egyptian funeral boat

Among the ancient Egyptians, burying some type of vehicle along with a deceased person was a fairly common practice. For example, as many as 6 chariots were found in the legendary tomb of King Tutankhamun. Other members of noble families chose to be buried with the boats. However, even simple peasants and artisans tried to observe this tradition, buying the cheapest ships before death, so that in the afterlife they would not be left without a means of transportation. But the 4,500-year-old ship discovered in the Sahara Desert in the sands of the Abusir necropolis was completely extraordinary!

The boat, excavated in 2016, was 18 meters long, just a few meters shorter than the length of warships of the time. The vessel was made of high quality wood, and therefore it was perfectly preserved until the day of excavation. The strangest thing was that the craft was not buried in the grave of a noble Egyptian or military leader. On the contrary, a body was discovered at the excavation site common man. How could a poor man afford such a ship? How could the family of an ordinary Egyptian afford to buy a practically military ship or even pay for its transportation to the burial place of a relative? The answers to these questions may still be hidden somewhere in the world. quicksand Sugars.

Cemetery marine mammals in the middle of the desert

Since we're talking about tombs... Ships buried in the sands far from sea or river shores are not the most unusual objects that have ever been found in deserts. In the Chilean Atacama Desert there is a hill symbolically named Cerro Ballena (Whale Hill). This place is located at an altitude of 40 meters above sea level, and it was discovered in 2010 during the construction of a new road. Workers found here the remains of almost 40 prehistoric whales and a collection of bones of others sea ​​creatures(ancestors of modern dolphins, fur seals and even ancient relatives of billfish). The prehistoric natural necropolis was striking in its scale and raised many questions among paleontologists. How could several dozen animals be so different types die almost simultaneously in the same place and survive so well?

The most likely explanation is that whales, fish and other marine animals have been dying here for a long time, and the builders discovered such a massive accumulation of bones due to work in the high area. Apparently, this discovery has been waiting in the wings for about 6-9 million years. Scientists believe that the cause of this mortality could be poisoning from toxic algae. One way or another, as a result, the list of attractions in Chile was supplemented with a very remarkable cemetery of prehistoric animals.

Remains of a kangaroo with “horns”

IN Australian desert Nullarbor in the coastal region in 2002, during excavations, a whole collection of skeletons was discovered, which local media dubbed “strange kangaroos”. The remains belonged to a large-sized species of animal, much larger than ordinary kangaroos. These bizarre vertebrate creatures not only had massive claws specially adapted for digging, but also unusual processes above their eye sockets. At first, scientists decided that these were horns, but they were too small and barely protruded above the level of the forehead. The next version sounds more plausible - they were probably a kind of brow ridges that protected the eyes from foreign objects, injuries and the scorching rays of the sun. Experts also noted that the unknown species of kangaroo had a bulbous, bulbous nose. Be that as it may, a study of the skeleton indicates that the creature was a herbivore and would not pose any danger to people if it lived to the present day.

Works of ancient people

These patterns on the earth's surface were first noticed in 1927 by the British pilot Percy Maitland, but for a long time the mysterious patterns were of almost no interest to the public. On the territory of Jordan, in the area of ​​​​the Azraq oasis, hundreds of mysterious geoglyphs, the width of which is 25-30 meters, were discovered on the ground. Outwardly, they resemble patterns of wheels, and the Bedouins called these patterns “the work of ancient people.” There are 2 more of these giant wheels in the Black Desert region of Jordan, and archaeologists believe that they are about 8,500 years old. This means that the mysterious artifacts are older than the oldest pyramid in the world, which makes them even more mysterious objects.

The purpose of these objects is still unknown. One of the most popular versions says that there was once a ancient cemetery, but this claim has never been proven and remains controversial. The patterns are built from stones and presumably represent some kind of symbols. According to the most popular opinion, these designs are associated with the astronomical knowledge of the ancient inhabitants of this region, since most of the spokes of the “wheels” of the Azraq oasis are extended towards the sunrise during the winter solstice.

Similar, but simpler marks on the ground were also found in Saudi Arabia. The huge stone triangles have been studied so little that scientists do not even know the approximate date of their origin. In addition to triangles, others were also discovered here. strange artifacts- man-made formations in the shape of the letter “U”, carved into the ground or assembled from over three hundred stones. The finds were later dubbed gates. It seems that these geoglyphs are completely unique, since such structures are not found anywhere else outside of Saudi Arabia. Scientists are still shrugging their shoulders and cannot explain the purpose of all these marks.

The disemboweled body of Ryan Singleton

The last item in this collection will not be as mystical as the previous ones, and is not related to archeology or the mysteries of antiquity. Instead, you will find the tragic story of a young American.

In 2013, in the Mojave Desert (Mojave, California), amateurs hiking The body of 24-year-old Georgia native Ryan Singleton (Georgia) was discovered. The guy worked in the modeling business and did not hide from anyone that he was homosexual. At the time of the discovery of his body, he had been wanted for 2 and a half months. The body was found in an unusual condition - the deceased Singleton was missing eyes, lungs, liver, kidneys and heart. No evidence was found at the scene that would help lead to the culprit or understand what happened.

Missing organs most often testify in favor of dealers working on the black market of transplantation. However, the police rejected this option because official conclusion Forensic experts indicate that the missing entrails were eaten by wild animals. But this version also has its drawbacks. For example, it is not clear why the model’s body is practically undamaged, which does not fit in with the habits of hungry animals. Ryan was gutted too neatly.

The victim's family suspects that either the guy made enemies in the modeling and entertainment business, or he was killed because of his sexual orientation in a fit of hatred. And if the guy died a non-violent death, then why in the middle of the desert and alone? The investigation is still ongoing.

Vast areas of our planet are covered with deserts. In total, they occupy 20 million km 2. There are many of them in Africa, Australia, Northern and South America. Also, large areas are occupied by the deserts of Asia - in this part of the world there are 22 of them. Among them sandy desert The Karakum desert in Turkmenistan, the sandy-rocky Syrian desert in Syria, Iraq and Jordan, the rocky-clayey Dashti-Margo desert in Afghanistan and many others.

Geographical location of the Gobi Desert

But the largest in Asia and the second largest in the world is the Gobi Desert with an area of ​​1,300,000 km 2. Its territory covers the entire south of Mongolia and a good part of China. But the Gobi cannot be called completely deserted. Here 200-300 mm falls per year. precipitation, which is one and a half times more than in classic deserts. In addition, the height of the Gobi above sea level is 900 meters, and winters here are more severe than in the neighboring Kyzylkum and Karakum deserts. Also due to its high altitude position, areas of different appearance and climate were formed in it, completely different from each other.

Diversity of the Gobi

For example, the northern Gobi Desert begins south of Ulaanbaatar and stretches to the Mongolian Altai. This is an ordinary steppe, which is covered with tall grasses, among which herds of animals graze. To the east of Altai is the Trans-Altai Gobi, and dry rocky steppes dominate here, where only wormwood and semi-deserts with dry river beds and lonely wells grow. In addition, there are also the Gaushan Gobi, the Dzungarian Gobi, the Eastern Gobi Desert and the Gobi Altai - each of these areas has its own unique look. There are tall ones here mountain ranges and flat plains, salty and fresh lakes, fast transparent rivers and salt marshes.

Historical role of the Gobi Desert

Also, the Gobi Desert played an important role in the history of mankind. Genghis Khan passed through it, seeking to conquer the Chinese Jin Empire. And in August 1945, the Soviet army passed through this desert and defeated the Kwantung Army, thereby ending the Second world war. Also, for many centuries, the Great Silk Road ran through the Gobi - it passed through small villages in oases and rare cities, the remains of which are still preserved due to the dry desert climate.

Gobi - former paradise of dinosaurs

The Gobi Desert is also a place where scientific discoveries can still be made. Here, for the first time, scientists were able to excavate not individual parts of prehistoric animals, but large cemeteries of perfectly preserved skeletons. So, in 1946, an expedition led by Ivan Efremov found the remains of dinosaurs here. During life, these lizards weighed tens of tons and reached 25 meters in length. During excavations, bones were found that weighed tens of kilograms, and in the process of research, paleontologists found out that 130 million years ago in these places there was not a desert, but a swampy lowland. And ancient mammals, turtles, crocodiles, predatory and herbivorous dinosaurs lived here. And their remains were so well preserved only thanks to the desert, heat and lack of moisture in it.

Gobi Desert - excavations continue

Efremov's expedition managed to excavate three large cemeteries with prehistoric animals. Now in the Central Museum of Ulaanbaatar and in the Moscow Paleontological Museum you can see huge skeletons restored by scientists. Excavations in the Gobi Desert are still ongoing; paleontologists recently managed to find almost the entire skeleton of Tarbosaurus, which lived 70 million years ago. Archaeologists have found treasures belonging to one of Buddhist monasteries 19th century - in the 30s of the last century they were hidden from the communists who destroyed the monasteries.