Ancient site · New Valley
Cave of the Beasts
A huge rock shelter in the Western Desert covered with thousands of Neolithic paintings, estimated to be roughly 7,000-8,000 years old.
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The story
The Cave of the Beasts, also known as the Foggini-Mestikawi Cave or Wadi Sura II, is a large natural rock shelter in Egypt's Western Desert near the Gilf Kebir, about 10 km from the Cave of Swimmers. Its walls carry thousands of Neolithic figures, with estimates ranging from about 5,000 to 8,000, and the paintings are estimated to be more than 7,000 years old.
Good to know
- Estimates of the number of figures range from about 5,000 to 8,000, including hybrid creatures that gave the cave its name.
- The paintings are estimated to be more than 7,000 years old.
- It was found some 70 years after the Cave of Swimmers and is named after its discoverers Foggini and Mestikawi.