Taforalt
The cave in September 2017 | |
| Alternative name | Grotte des Pigeons |
|---|---|
| Location | near Taforalt village, Iznasen mountains |
| Region | Morocco |
| Coordinates | 34°48′38″N 2°24′30″W / 34.81056°N 2.40833°W |
| History | |
| Periods | Middle Paleolithic, Epipalaeolithic |
| Cultures | pre-Mousterian, Aterian, Iberomaurusian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1944–1947, 1950–1955, 1969-1977, 2003-2018, 2022 |
| Archaeologists | Ruhlmann, Roche, Bouzouggar, Barton, Humphrey |
| Public access | No |
Taforalt, or Grotte des Pigeons, is a cave in the province of Berkane, Aït Iznasen region, Morocco, possibly the oldest cemetery in North Africa. It contained at least 34: 347 Iberomaurusian adolescent and adult human skeletons, as well as younger ones, from the Upper Palaeolithic between 15,100 and 14,000 calendar years ago. There is archaeological evidence for Iberomaurusian occupation at the site between 23,200 and 12,600 calendar years ago, as well as evidence for Aterian occupation as old as 85,000 years.