PHOTO: The Great Escarpment, Eastern Portion, South Africa


This is a photo looking down from the Great Escarpment (along the Drakensberg ridge) bordering Lesotho and South Africa. In the middle distance you can see "rondawel" houses inhabited by descendants of the "first-nation" people of Southern Africa - in this case most likely Zulu or Basotho. Sadly, imperialist exploration (from Europe) led to the re-writing of much of South Africa's ancient history, resulting in the loss of information relating to the first modern humans who inhabited South Africa from about 100,000 years ago.

This land is so full of ancient treasures and lost secrets. Uncovering them could help us understand the origins of human civilization and history in pre-Biblical (from 12,000 BCE) and even in Biblical times (starting circa 5,000 BCE).

The Great Escarpment is the mountain ridge that was formed over 150 million years ago through volcanic activity. It spans from the North East of South Africa (on the border with Mozambique) all the way down South and around to the North West of South Africa (into Namibia). It reaches a height of over 11,000 feet in its Eastern edge at its highest point in the Lesotho highlands on the border with South Africa. 

The Drakensberg is amongst the highest points on earth, amidst the Rocky Mountains which reach 14,400 feet, the Swiss Alps which reach 15,000 feet, the Andes which reach almost 23,000 feet, and the Himalayas which reach almost 25,000 feet.

My wife and I enjoyed living in South Africa for many years. Looking at this photo brings back memories of good times accompanied by the smells, sounds, and climate of that region. The photo here was taken after I had arranged an early morning helicopter flight through the escarpment at a time when my wife was pregnant with our first child, and suffering very bad morning sickness. What an inconsiderate schmuck I must have seemed. But the experience was amazing, and my wife now looks back on that moment with fondness.


Image: Great Escarpment, Drakensberg Range, Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Copyright - Michael Beaton

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