Mysteries of the Egyptian Desert: 7,000-Year-Old Circle Found

In the Egyptian Sahara, archaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old stone circle known as Nabta Playa. The structure, dubbed the 'Stonehenge of the Sahara,' was used by ancient cattle herders to observe the sky and determine seasons. Excavations revealed the alignment of blocks with stars, including Sirius and Orion's Belt. The builders were members of the Ruat El-Baquar tribe, who left burials with animal skeletons and stone carvings of cows.

In the Egyptian part of the Sahara Desert, archaeologists have discovered a stone circle about 7,000 years old, known as Nabta Playa. The structure, nicknamed the 'Stonehenge of the Sahara,' was used by ancient cattle herders to observe the sky and determine seasons. Excavations in the 1990s revealed that the stone blocks are aligned with key points of the solar calendar and bright stars, including Sirius, Arcturus, Orion's Belt, and Alpha Centauri. The builders were members of the Ruat El-Baquar tribe, for whom cattle held central importance, as evidenced by burials with animal skeletons and stone carvings of cows. The history of study began in the 1960s with expeditions by archaeologist Fred Wendorf, and in 1973 a local Bedouin guide showed scientists a cluster of boulders on the dried lake bed. During the Neolithic era, the Sahara was a flourishing savanna with lakes, but around 3000 BCE a drought set in, forcing people to leave these places.