Tadrart Acacus Area, Libya

Tadrart Acacus is a Central Saharan mountain range that covers an area of 4800 square km and is located in the Fezzan region, southwestern Libya. This elongated, north-south oriented massif is composed of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. To the east, it slopes downward towards a sand sea named Erg Uan Kasa and to the west, there is a steep scarp, forming a high, narrow ridge. The central and southern parts of the mountain range are deeply dissected by a fossil drainage network flowing from west to east, among which Wadi Teshuinat is the main ancient watercourse. Archaeological investigations in the region began in 1955 with the establishment of the Italo-Libyan Joint Mission for Prehistoric Research in the Sahara by Mori, later renamed Italian-Libyan Archaeological Mission in the Acacus and Messak, when di Lernia resumed the direction in 2004.