Nabta Playa, Ancient archaeological site in Nubian Desert, Egypt

Nabta Playa is an archaeological site in a depression of the Nubian Desert, about 100 km west of Abu Simbel in southern Egypt. Its dried lakebed holds scattered upright stones, rough slabs and blocks of dark brown to reddish-brown rock, some set in a calendar circle, with low masonry along the top edge.

Cattle-herding nomads erected these stone structures during the Neolithic period around 7000 years before the common era. The community returned repeatedly to this location until climate changes made the area uninhabitable.

The name combines "Nabta", from the nearby Djebel Nabta mountain, with "playa", Spanish for beach. From about 6100 to 5600 BC groups from neighbouring basins gathered here in summer, when the temporary lake stood full, on a dune along its north-west shore where hundreds of hearths and over two metres of debris accumulated. Later occupants buried sacrificial cattle in clay-lined, roofed chambers under rough stone tumuli, a practice linked to the later Hathor cult.

The journey leads about 100 kilometers west of Abu Simbel through desert terrain and requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle with an experienced driver. Water and sun protection are essential, as shade and facilities are absent.

Some of the stone blocks contain cattle burials alongside human remains, pointing to a close spiritual bond between herds and herders. The placement of the stones follows celestial directions linked to specific stars.