This area contains one of the world's finest collections of prehistoric rock paintings, with an estimated 1,600 individual paintings at almost two hundred different sites, and the most accessible ones are in the Irangi Hills north of Kondoa.
The
caves contain paintings, some of which are believed by Tanzania Antiquities
Department, that are more than 1,500 years back. It is also believed that the
older paintings date back to at least two thousand (2,000) years, while some of
the newer paintings are just two hundred (200) years old. The paintings are
believed to have been created by the ancestors of the present day Sandawe and
Hadzabe tribes.
Location:
Kondoa
Irangi Rock Paintings are located between Singida and Irangi Hills in Kondoa
Irangi village. Other rock painting is located at kolo village in
Singida.
Accessibility:
By road
The
Kondoa rock paintings its about 20 kilometers north of Kondoa, about nine (9)
kilometers off the Kondoa to Arusha main highway, and about 275 km southwest of
Arusha.
Attractions:
Symbols paintings
The
paintings show simplified human figures engaged in hunting, playing music
instruments, crossing rivers, and animals such as elephants, giraffes and
antelopes. They symbolize hunter’s gatherers and arts people who were
living in this area.
Traditional Ritual Believes
One of the key qualities of the Kondoa rock art sites is
that, they are still actively used by local communities in their daily rituals
activities like weather divinations for rain making and traditional healing
rituals.
Decorated Shelters
The
Kolo Kondoa rock art site is an interesting excursion for travelers wanting to
experience Tanzania's early history. There are 150 shelters decorated with
paintings in the Kondoa District, some of which can be easily accessed from
Kolo Kondoa.
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