Environmental Threats to Prehistoric Treasures: Tassili n’Ajjer and Hoggar Facing Climatic Disruptions

Authors

  • Amira Ghennaï University of Skikda image/svg+xml
  • Said Madani Ferhat Abbas University Setif
front cover

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.2.04

Published

2026-01-31

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Water Management in World Heritage Properties at a Time of Climate Change

Section

methodologies and case studies

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Amira Ghennaï, Said Madani

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Environmental Threats to Prehistoric Treasures: Tassili n’Ajjer and Hoggar Facing Climatic Disruptions. (2026). Blue Papers, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2025.2.04

Keywords:

UNESCO World Heritage, climate change, water management, Tassili n’Ajjer and Hoggar, QGIS

Abstract

In Tassili n’Ajjer, a UNESCO World Heritage property, and the Hoggar Mountains prehistoric rupestrian (rock) art reveals a critical narrative of environmental transformation. Dating from 10,000 BC to approximately the first millennium AD, these paintings document a once-verdant Sahara, contrasting sharply with today’s arid landscape. These archaeological treasures now face an existential threat from contemporary climate change. Unpredictable rainfall, increased humidity and temperature fluctuations are systematically degrading the delicate art. As climate change intensifies, the study emphasizes the need for integrated conservation approaches that combine advanced monitoring, community-based stewardship and international collaboration.

Author Biographies

  • Amira Ghennaï, University of Skikda

    Amira Ghennaï is a lecturer at the University of Skikda. She holds a PhD in architecture from the University of Setif 1 and is a member of the PUViT Laboratory at the University of Skikda. She is also a member of the PortCityFutures initiative at Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities in the Netherlands. As an academic researcher, she is passionate about studying port cities, with a particular interest in the relationships between urban development, maritime and industrial heritage, sustainability and the diverse dynamics of port city regions. 

  • Said Madani, Ferhat Abbas University Setif

    Said Madani is Professor of Architecture and Head of the Laboratory PUViT at Ferhat Abbas University Setif 1 in Algeria. An architect of state (University of Constantine, 1979), he holds a master’s degree from Ohio State University (1983) and a doctorate from the University of Ferhat Abbas Setif (2012). His research and teaching focus on the design processes that shape the built environment, with a special interest in the transfer of architectural knowledge and in urban public space and port cities. Since 2019, he has contributed to this field as a member of the International Advisory Board for the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Universities’ PortCityFutures research initiative.

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