The world’s oldest 7,000-year-old astronomical observatory in a stunning African country

Nabta Playa, discovered in 1974, is a prehistoric site located in a remote desert region near the border of and Sudan. Today, it is a barren stretch of fine sand, but 11,000 years ago, it was a lush oasis.

Back then, a group of nomadic humans stumbled upon a freshwater lake, providing them with water, plant-based food, and a place to rest. Surrounded by trees and abundant undergrowth, it became an Eden where they could settle, hunt, and herd, and they eventually established a permanent presence.

Today, the site is known as Nabta Playa, a name that evokes both its ancient legacy and its connection to .

Its location near the Toshka Lakes ties it to an ambitious irrigation project from the 20th century which was aimed at transforming the region into an agricultural zone.

Although the project met with mixed success, it underscored the enduring importance of the area. The nomadic people who inhabited it between 9,000 and 7,300 BC left a lasting impact that continues to resonate across the millennia.

The is situated about 62 miles from the temples of Abu Simbel, and it was in 1974 that US anthropologist Fred Wendorf’s expedition uncovered the site. During a routine break in their desert journey, Wendorf and his team stumbled upon pottery fragments and evidence of earlier habitation, leading to the realisation that the area had been of significant cultural importance.

Over the years, excavations at Nabta Playa revealed that the site was used for ceremonial purposes, including the sacrifice of large animals.

Researchers also found an intriguing arrangement of stones, , which later turned out to be a complex astronomical structure. The most notable feature is a large central circle surrounded by a smaller one, thought to have been used for both rituals and stargazing.

As their research progressed, the scientists found that the arrangement of stones revealed a more precise function: an entire observatory.

The stone circle is aligned with remarkable accuracy, with four pairs of larger stones aligned north to south. These stones point towards the horizon where the sun rises on the summer solstice, a clear indication that the site was used to track the stars and celestial events.

Anthropologists and archaeologists have theorised that the observatory at Nabta Playa was intertwined with sacrificial rituals, as the positioning of the stones suggests that the nomads who frequented the site could have used astronomical events to guide their seasonal practices, possibly coordinating sacrifices with the arrival of the rainy season when the Nile River would flood, enriching the surrounding land with fertile soil.

The desert site, with its angular, iron-rich stones contrasting against the orange desert sand, creates a striking visual impact that continues to awe those who visit it to this day. Those brave enough to make the journey face isolation, harsh environmental conditions, and challenging terrain.

The layout of Nabta Playa’s stone structures is , yet it predates the famous English site by a thousand years. The inner circle, composed of six stones, may have been the site of rituals, while the 29 outer stones seem to have marked specific stars or celestial points.

This ancient observatory, while less well-known than its British counterpart, offers a glimpse into the advanced understanding of astronomy possessed by early human societies.

Nabta Playa remains one of the most enigmatic archaeological sites in the world, and it is in many ways a testament to just how advanced ancient humans were, at the same time offering crucial insight into the cultural and social lives of the people who once called it home.