Gaanlibah

Gaanlibah or Ga'an Libah (Somali: Gacan Libaax) English : The lion's paw ) is a mountain range, archaeological site, and national park located in the Maroodi Jeex region of Somaliland.^[2][3]

Gaanlibah Gacan Libaax Ga'an Libah, Gan Libah[1]
Archaeological site
Gaanlibah mountain range
Gaanlibah Location in the Horn of Africa Show map of Marodi Jeh Gaanlibah Gaanlibah (Somaliland) Show map of Somaliland Gaanlibah Gaanlibah (Africa) Show map of Africa
Coordinates: 9.8613886°N 44.8148563°E / 9.8613886; 44.8148563
Country	Somaliland
Region	Maroodi Jeex & Hargeisa District
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)

Geography

The site is near the Golis Mountains.^[1][4] Its upper slopes are the source of the seasonal Togdheer river that flows through the city of Burao into the Nugaal Valley.^[5] Gaanlibah is not far from Laas Geel and around 100 km (62 mi) east of the provincial capital Hargeisa. It is in the western part of the northern mountains, which extend east and west parallel to the northern coast of the Horn of Africa.

Flora and fauna

The natural vegetation includes evergreen and semi-evergreen bushland and thicket at lower elevations, dominated by the shrub Buxus hildebrandtii, which cover approximately 20,000 ha. Woodlands of African juniper and other Afromontane plant communities occur at higher elevations, and cover about 30,000 ha.^[6]

Mammals recorded here include hamadryas baboon, klipspringer, beira and dorcas gazelle.^[6]

The site has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International.^[7] Native birds include the sombre rock chat, Gambaga flycatcher and Somali golden-winged grosbeak.^[6]

Rock art

The site features a number of caves adorned with rock art of animals and other figures. As no major archaeological excavation has been conducted here, the Gaanlibah paintings are of uncertain origin, purpose and date.^[2][3]

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