Gabal El Uweinat

Mount Uwaynat or Gabal El Uweinat (Arabic: جبل العوينات Gabal El ʿUwaināt or Jabal al-ʿUwaināt, Arabic for 'Mountain of the springs') is a mountain range in the area of the Egyptian-Libyan-Sudanese tripoint. In the Tubu language (Indigenous to the region), the area is called “Tuanou,” and also “Tuanwa” which means “southern land”. Because of thousands of prehistoric rock art sites, it is considered an important witness to the development of early pastoralism in the Sahara.^[2][3]

Mount Uwaynat
جبل العوينات Jabal al-ʿUwaināt or Gabal El ʿUwaināt
Mount Uwaynat on the border of Egypt, Libya and Sudan
Highest point
Elevation	1,895 m (6,217 ft)[1]
Prominence	1,266 m (4,154 ft)
Listing	Ribu
Coordinates	21°55′N 25°01′E
Dimensions
Length	30 km (19 mi)
Width	25 km (16 mi)
Geography
Location in Africa Show map of Egypt Mount Uwaynat (Libya) Show map of Libya Mount Uwaynat (Sudan) Show map of Sudan Mount Uwaynat (Africa) Show map of Africa
Countries	Egypt, Libya, Sudan

The ancient Libyan groups known as the Tehenu (Temehu) are the ancestors of the Toubou (Gara'an)—the name Gara'an attributed to their Garamantian ancestors, who themselves descended from the Tehenu (Temehu). The Tehenu (Temehu) inhabited this area in southern Cyrenaica which was a fertile and green land in prehistoric times, therefore it was termed Tazer, which means "greenland" in Toubou and "Ta" means land and "zer," means green. This name is still used today to refer to the Kufra region and its capital oasis, Al-Jawf. The name Tehenu originates from these mountainous regions and means 'southern land.' When referring to the people, it denotes 'the people of the southern land (country)'. Similarly, Temehu means "eastern land," conveying a comparable geographic significance.^[3][4]

Ta, Te, Ti, Tu, To, and Tou are all phonetic variants that carry the meaning of "land" similar to the ancient Egyptian use of "Ta" to denote lands (or countries). For instance, in ancient Egyptian, Tameri (also spelled Ta-Mery and Ta-Meri) means "Beloved Land". This linguistic pattern appears across several cultures in the Nile Valley and surrounding regions. Among the Toubou, the concept of "land" is articulated as Ta, Te, Ti or Tu, To, Tou. Despite slight phonetic variations, these forms share the same fundamental meaning, referring to land are used to denote homelands (countries) names and country means "Ni" in Toubou. This terminology reflects a deep-rooted linguistic continuity and underscores enduring cultural and territorial identities in the region.^[3][4]

The names Tehenu, Tahanu, Tihinu, and Tuhunu are all phonetically valid, reflecting regional and dialectal variations. The prefix Te means “land” and is commonly used to denote names of homelands in various ancient naming systems. When the prefix appears on its own, it is often pronounced “Tu”, as used by Toubou speakers to refer to the Tibesti region. In this context, “Tu” denotes "land"—understood as "homeland"—which is the true meaning. However, when combined with other elements, the pronunciation shifts depending on the speaker’s accent, resulting in variations such as Tehenu, Tahanu, Tihinu, or Tuhunu—all of which are correct, as they reflect accents among Toubou speakers.^[3][4]

The suffix "henu" is derived from "aunu", "aono" "anou", eunu or eono which conveys the meaning “south”, depending on local speech patterns. Thus, Tehenu means “southern land”. Also, the word south appearing on Maps as nwa or anoa. Similarly, in the name Temehu, the prefix Te again means “land” while the suffix—variously rendered as mehu, mahu, mihu, or muhu—signifies “east”. These variations are also shaped by individual or regional accents. Therefore, Temehu means “eastern land”.^[3][4]

This reflects a clear geographical logic in naming conventions. Also, there is a place called Tumu—just like Temehu means "eastern land"—situated in the southern Fezzan region near the Niger border, which also conforms to this linguistic structure and reinforces the deep-rooted connection between language, territory, and identity. Likewise, Taanoa (Ta-anoa) means "southern land"—a place labeled on Google Maps—straddles southwestern Libya's Fezzan region and neighboring Chad. These toponyms not only reflect geographic orientation in further highlighting the historical extent of Toubou presence, but also affirm the deep-rooted connection of the Toubou to their ancestral lands. The ethnonym Toubou has the same structure as that of their ancestors and means "Grand Land"—derived from Tu (land) and bu means "grand" simply "big"—referring to their entire land (country or homeland), which includes Libya, Chad, Sudan, Niger, etc. There is also an archaeological site called Tebu in Sudan.^[3][4]

A similar linguistic composition is found in other Toubou place names, such as Tazerbu, an ancient kingdom of the Toubou, and Tarbu—a town located east of Taraghan. The name Tarbu means "inhabitants of the grand (big) land" where Ta means "land," r refers to the "inhabitants," and bu means "grand" (big). Likewise, Taraghan, Jaghbob and several others. These naming structures reflect a consistent linguistic pattern in Toubou toponymy, where geographical and social meanings are embedded in place names. Several other names in the region follow similar constructions.^[3][4]

The Tehenu (Temehu) were present throughout the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Old Stone Age (circa 10,000 B.C.) as well as extending from the Red Sea across the western Sahara to the Atlantic coast. Over time, however, North Africa’s northern coastal regions, in particular, experienced repeated waves of migration and invasion by groups seeking fertile land. As a direct consequence of these external factors, the territorial range of the Tehenu (Temehu) gradually contracted, eventually becoming concentrated in Cyrenaica.—the part that is a well documented. Their presence extended from the coastal regions through all of southern Libya and beyond, as well as western Egypt from the Nile Delta historically referred to as Eastern Libya. Notably, the Tehenu were the first people mentioned in Egyptian reliefs during the early Old Kingdom, and both names—Tehenu and Temehu—continued to appear in such records thereafter.^[3][4][5][6]

The Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484–425 BCE) recorded the name Garamantes, which is of Toubou origin—Garama-ntes—and carries a meaning that is still understood. In the Toubou (Dazaga–Tedaga) language, this literally means “people of the speakers of the Ga language.”

The name Garamantes can be broken down as follows: Ga (the name of their language) + ra (speakers) + ma. In this context, the terms ama, am, and ma all mean “people.” Ama is used as a prefix, while am and ma are its variants used as suffixes.^[7]

The ending -ntes is believed to have been passed down to Herodotus, who never personally visited the city of Garama. It is likely that he heard the name as Garama-ta (= Garama-nta) several times from his informants—most likely the people of the Awjila oasis—since there is corruption in his accounts. This aligns with how ancient Berbers pronounced names like Ghana-ta, meaning “land of Ghana,” referring to the Great Ghana Empire. In Toubou, the meaning is identical, especially given that Mai Shu of Kanem died in Ghanata around 1075 CE—may peace be upon him.^[8]

In the Bornu Diwan of the Mais, the name Ghanata is recorded in this same form, along with several other names that follow a similar structure. The Kanem–Bornu royal family is of Toubou origin and shares direct lineage with the Tumugara tribe of the Toubou, who were associated with its earliest kings onward. This tribe was recorded by Pliny the Elder under the name Tamiagi tribe. Many of the cities he mentioned also bear names of Toubou linguistic origin, such as Cizania, among others. The name Aujila (also recorded by Herodotus) is likewise of Toubou origin.^[9]

The suffixes -ti, -tu, -ta, or -te generally mean “land” across North Africa, varying by regional accents and context. Among the Toubou, all these forms are used, depending on the specific context. The ending -ntes (or -tes), being a plural of te (“land”), may refer to “lands” (i.e., the country of the Garama—ntes), or may reflect a Greek plural suffix used to denote “people.” In simple terms, Garamantes can be interpreted as either “people of the Ga-speakers” or “the country of the Ga-speaking people.” The root Garama remains central and meaningful. The name of their capital, Garama (also pronounced Germa), means “the ruler of the Garama (ntes) place,” i.e., the seat of the Garamantes king. The suffix -ma has two meanings in this context: it can be either singular or plural, depending on usage. It is also present in the royal title Mai, used by the kings of the Kanem–Bornu Empire—further supporting their shared origin. In the name Germa, the suffix -ma carries a singular meaning, referring specifically to the ruler’s place, where Ger is the root form of Garama (Ga-speaking people) and ma means “ruler.”^[3][10][4]

The capital Garama is also known in various forms: Germa, Jerma, Jarma, Djerma, or Djourma—all correct and synonymous in meaning. Among Toubu speakers, it is pronounced Jerma (Germa), while Arabic speakers say Jarma. In this context, the letters “J” and “G” are interchangeable—similar to how the names Gemma and Jemma sound the same with J. It is possible that the name Gemma, meaning “gem,” may even trace its origin to Germa oasis, where Romans, Greeks and Punics traded precious stones with the Garamantes.^[3][4]

Similarly, the Toubou dialects Dazaga and Tedaga both end in -ga, reflecting a shared origin. These dialects are variations of an earlier language known simply as Ga, which developed differences due to environmental and regional factors. The name Gara’an (Goran) is synonymous with Gara-ma (Garaman—tes) and also means “people of the Ga-speakers.” The suffixes ana, an, and na are synonymous with ama, am, and ma, and all mean “people” in Tubu. In the name Gara’an, the suffix an functions the same way. Ama and Ana are generally used as prefixes, while am, ma, an, and na are used as suffixes. In the Ga language, Ama = Ana, both meaning “people,” with consistent prefixes usage.^[7]

The name Gara’an (also Goran) is still used today to refer to the Toubou people in Sudan and Chad. These names are interchangeable throughout the Toubou world, much like the ancient Egyptian terms Tehenu and Temehu, which referred to the same group. The Temehu traded precious stones with the Egyptians, which is why these gems were known as “Temehu stones.”^[3][4]

Before the names Daza and Teda became common the proper name for the Toubu was Gara (Ga-speakers), referring to both the people and the language. This includes both the Daza-Ga and Teda-Ga dialects. The term Ga-speakers is accurate and still used today by Tubu to describe themselves and their language. The term Gara is mainly used in writing today to avoid confusion with the Kara group of the Toubou. Note that there is also a subgroup within the Daza called Daza (sometimes written Dazza to distinguish it from the broader term).

The names Daza and Teda emerged after the formation of the Kanem Kingdom during 7th century, which is a Toubou kingdom. This period coincides with the disappearance of the Garamantes in the same century, before they reappeared in Kanem around 1000 CE as Toubou.

The historical region of Kanem is also of Toubou origin. The name Kanem is a corruption of Kuanouam (Ku-anou-am), where Ku (a synonym of Tu) means “land,” anou means “south,” and am means “people.” Thus, Kanem originally meant “land of the southern people.” Over time, the name has come to be commonly interpreted simply as “southern land” due to linguistic evolution. The Toubou people of Kanem are known as Kuanouma, which generally means “people of Kanem.” Depending on the context, it can also mean “sons of Kanem,” but both meanings are essentially the same with no significant difference in this context.^[3][7][11] Note that the suffix -ma can mean either “people” or “sons,” depending on the context.

This area, located in the Kufra region, was first visited in 1879 by the German explorer Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs (1831–1896), who noted that it was part of the ancient homeland and ancestral seat of the Garamantes. For further information, see the Kufra page.

Cultural significance

The area is notable for its prehistoric rock carvings, first reported by the Egyptian explorer Ahmed Pasha Hassanein. When he discovered the Uweinat region in 1923, he found that the Toubou were still living there—a presence that continued until the 1970s. During his expedition, Hassanein traversed the first 40 kilometers of the mountain eastward but did not reach its end.^[12][3] Engraved in sandstone, thousands of petroglyphs are visible, representing lions, giraffes, ostriches, gazelles, cows and small human figures. According to a technical report of UNESCO, "Thousands of rock art sites of different styles and themes are distributed all over the area, [attesting] to the development of early pastoralism in Africa and exchanges among different ethnic groups across the Sahara."^[2]

Geography

Mount Uwaynat lies about 40 km S-SE of Jabal Arkanu.^[12] The main spring called Ain Dua lies at the foot of the mountain, on the Libyan side. The western foot (located at 21°52′29″N 24°54′16″E according to Hassanein) is 618 m high, and overcast with giant boulders fallen because of erosion. In general, the western slope constitutes an oasis, with wells, bushes and grass.^[12]

The western part of the massif consists of intrusive granite, arranged in a ring shape of some 25 km diameter, ending in three valleys (wadis) towards the West, named Karkur Hamid, Karkur Idriss and Karkur Ibrahim. Its eastern part consists of sandstone, ending in Karkur Talh. In Karkur Murr, there is a permanent oasis (Guelta), called Ain El Brins (Bir Murr).

In the sandstone part, four plateaus emerge from the level of the surrounding desert: the Hassanein plateau, connected to an unnamed plateau through a narrow neck, the Italia plateau and another unnamed plateau. The highest point of Uweinat is on top of the Italia plateau. There are two cairns on the top, the first was erected by R.A. Bagnold and the second by Captain Marchesi, both in the 1930s.^[13]

Topographic map of Djebel Uweinat

Exploration

• Ahmed Pasha Hassanein—The discoverer who first published its existence on his 1923 map.
• Prince Kamal al-Dine Hussein (son of Hussein Kamel, Sultan of Egypt)
• Ralph Alger Bagnold—Founder of the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) and desert explorer
• Pat Clayton—LRDG and Egyptian Government Survey
• László Almásy—Hungarian desert researcher
• Hubert W. G. J. Penderel
• Leo Frobenius
• Hans Rhotert
• Prinz Ferdinand von Lichtenstein
• Mahmoud Marai (who co-discovered the Yam Inscriptions near the southern end of the mountain in 2007)

Sources

• Bertarelli, L.V. (1929). Guida d'Italia, Vol. XVII (in Italian). Milano: Consociazione Turistica Italiana.