Cave of Swimmers

The Cave of Swimmers is a prehistoric rock‑art site on the Gilf Kebir plateau in the Egyptian Sahara, recorded by explorers in the 1930s and notable for large painted figures that appear to depict humans swimming.

Panels of painted human and animal figures are set on smooth sandstone walls within a shallow cave and nearby rock shelters; some figures are drawn in stylized poses that suggest swimming movements. The paintings are part of the wider Wadi Sura rock‑art complex and are among the most cited Saharan Holocene pictographs by archaeologists.

The site was documented by European explorers in the early 20th century and has been interpreted as evidence of a much wetter climate in the Sahara during the early to mid Holocene. Archaeologists date the rock art to prehistoric periods and study it as part of broader research into Saharan prehistoric cultures.

The cave sits on the southern edge of the Gilf Kebir plateau in southwestern Egypt, in a remote desert zone near the Libya border; it is hundreds of kilometres from major cities and reached only by long overland desert routes.

• Access: Site lies in a very remote part of the Gilf Kebir plateau; visits require an organized desert expedition, local permits and experienced guides.
• Conservation: Rock paintings are fragile and exposed to the elements; follow site rules and avoid touching the art.