ROCK ART AT FIGUIG AND ICH IN EASTERN MOROCCO: NEW DATA

Abstract

Eastern Morocco is very rich in rock art sites as are most of the regions of the Kingdom. The first references to rock art sites in the region date back to the beginning of the 20th century, when Moroccan and foreign researchers discovered several locations of rock engravings. The interest of this paper is to show the importance of rock art at Figuig and Ich, located in eastern Morocco, in the context of North African rock art. Since the region could be considered a distinctive historical and cultural area that played a crucial role between the Saharan Atlas and the southern slopes of the High Atlas, the rock art in the region reflects the collective consciousness of ancient human communities and their ability to adapt to the natural conditions prevailing in their environment in the northwestern Sahara desert.