Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Keelmen Mural
Conspiracies and monsters abound at Denver Airport.
‘Notre Denver’
Alai Minar
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Timor-Leste Rock Art at Nino Konis Santana National Park

Rock Art at Nino Konis Santana National Park

Ancient images hide within the park's caves.

Timor-Leste

Added By
Max Cortesi
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Rock Art at Nino Konis Santana National Park.   Tatoli ba Kultura/cc by-sa 3.0
Rock Art at Nino Konis Santana National Park.   Max Cortesi / Atlas Obscura User
A carved face in Lena Hara cave.   David Palazón, Tatoli ba Kultura/cc by-sa 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Rock art found at Nino Konis Santana National Park consists of paintings created using different colors, but with some rare exceptions, only those drawn in black or dark brown are visible to the naked eye. Among the motifs portrayed in these caves are boats, animals, birds, people, the Sun, stars, geometric patterns, and figures featuring a mixture of human and animal traits.

The first caves within the park were explored and studied in 1966. The last nine caves were explored and studied for the first time in 2000. Considering the thick vegetation and rugged terrain, it would not be unfathomable to speculate that more rock art is yet to be found.

Carbon dating tests run on human-made findings from the Lene Hara cave show that humans have been living in this region for at least 30,000 years. The dating of the paintings, however, has proven to be more controversial. Some scholars initially claimed that the paintings date back to the Neolithic Age (about 12,000 years ago), but this view has been challenged by more recent research that suggests these images are from as recent as 2,500 years ago.

These rock paintings exhibit techniques, styles, and motifs also present on other islands in the South Pacific, including Australia. Techniques and styles can travel a long way, adapting to specific and diverse cultural contexts. Yet, the similarities in motifs suggest that in spite of the significant distance among them, these islands may have shared the same symbolic system. If this is the case, these societies must have had more interchanges with one another than previously thought.

Related Tags

National Parks Caves Paintings Rocks Ecosystems Geology

Know Before You Go

The rock art sites are located on the island's easternmost tip, within the boundaries of Nino Konis Santana National Park. Some can be found near the dirt track leading from Tutuala to Waloo beach, while others are located deeper in the forest. The most commonly known of these sites are Ile Kere Kere, Lene Hara, and Jerimalai.

For the caves near Tutuala, you can ask people for directions. They are near the dirt track to Waloo beach, and the path leading to these sites is clear. For caves deeper in the forest, you need to hire a guide.

Community Contributors

Added By

Max Cortesi

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

June 19, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nino_Konis_Santana_National_Park
  • http://www.unesco.or.id/Project/ProjectSheet_Timor-Leste.pdf
Rock Art at Nino Konis Santana National Park
Timor-Leste
-8.411695, 127.293235

Nearby Places

Lake Ira Lalaro

Lospalos, Timor-Leste

miles away

Uma Lulik

Lospalos, Timor-Leste

miles away

Escola do Reino de Haudere Ruins

Timor-Leste

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste

Asia

Places 10
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Lake Ira Lalaro

Lospalos, Timor-Leste

miles away

Uma Lulik

Lospalos, Timor-Leste

miles away

Escola do Reino de Haudere Ruins

Timor-Leste

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste

Asia

Places 10
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Santa Barbara, California

    Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park

    Colorful Native American paintings are hidden within this small cavern.

  • The entrance to the Devil’s Well

    Caprarola, Italy

    Pozzo del Diavolo (Devil's Well)

    Was this cave created by Hercules's wrath, the devil, or volcanic activity?

  • Mine, Japan

    Akiyoshido Cave

    Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

  • Cave of Maltravieso

    Cáceres, Spain

    Cave of Maltravieso

    A neighborhood park in the city of Cáceres hides what some believe are revolutionary examples of Neanderthal cave art.

  • Hill of the Bells.

    Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

    Cerro de las Campanas (Hill of Bells)

    When struck, the strange stones in this park ring like bells.

  • Inside the caves, paths and features are brightly illuminated.

    Cacahuamilpa, Mexico

    Grutas de Cacahuamilpa

    One of the world’s largest cave systems houses legends, concerts, and wondrous rock formations alike.

  • Black Mountain and its boulders.

    Rossville, Australia

    Black Mountain

    Legend says entire herds of cattle have disappeared within this boulder-strewn landscape.

  • Bunnet Stane.

    Gateside, Scotland

    Bunnet Stane

    This unusual rock looks like a giant, otherworldly mushroom sprouting atop a cave.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.