Laas Geel tour Safaris Tourism Company
About This Museum
It's not every day you find a gallery that's over 5,000 years old, completely open to the sky. Laas Geel isn't a building at all, but a stunning series of granite rock shelters just outside Hargeisa. What will truly stop you in your tracks are the caverns adorned with some of the most vivid and best-preserved ancient rock art on the entire continent. The paintings haven't faded much at all; their radiant ochres and whites depict elegant, long-horned cattle and enigmatic human figures in a style that feels both ancient and instantly captivating. It’s a humbling, direct connection to a pastoral world that thrived here millennia ago.
Collection Highlights
The main draw is the breathtakingly fresh polychrome paintings of humpless cows, often shown in profile with impossibly ornate, lyre-shaped horns. Look closely and you'll see human figures with featureless heads, some appearing to interact with or even worship the cattle. A few panels feature what might be domesticated dogs or even a giraffe, adding to the narrative mystery.
Visitor Information
Since it's an unprotected archaeological site, you'll need to go with a guided tour from a company like Laas Geel Tour Safaris—they handle everything from transport out of Hargeisa to making sure you have plenty of water. Wear sturdy shoes for scrambling over the granite outcrops and bring a hat; there's very little shade. The Somaliland sun is no joke!
Architecture & Building
Forget walls and roofs—the 'architecture' here is entirely natural. Imagine massive, wave-like formations of pink and beige granite that have been hollowed out by time into perfect shallow caves and overhangs. These smooth rock faces are the pristine canvases that ancient artists chose for their masterpieces.
Contact & Location
Address: Hargeysa هرجيسا, Woqooyi Galbeed, Soomaaliland أرض الصومال, Soomaaliya الصومال
Phone: +252 4 563206
