This list contains notable petroglyphs, or rock engravings, around the world.
Africa
Algeria Tassili n'Ajjer
Cameroon Bidzar
Central African Republic Bambari, Lengo and Bangassou in the south; Bwale in the west Toulou Djebel Mela Koumbala
Chad Niola Doa
Republic of the Congo The Niari Valley, 250 km south west of Brazzaville
Egypt Qurta, on the east bank of the Nile River in the upper Nile valley, has Nubian Sandstone formations featuring the first and earliest known examples of petroglyphs in the region of North Africa, dating back to 19–15,000 years BP Wadi Hammamat in Qift, many carvings and inscriptions dating from before the earliest Egyptian Dynasties to the modern era, including the only painted petroglyph known from the Eastern Desert and drawings of Egyptian reed boats dated to 4000 BCE Inscription Rock in South Sinai, is a large rock with carvings and writings ranging from Nabatean to Latin, Ancient Greek and Crusader eras located a few miles from the Ain Hudra Oasis. A second rock sites approximately 1 km from the main rock near the Nabatean tombs of Nawamis with carvings of animals including Camels, Gazelles and others. The original archaeologists who investigated these in the 1800s have also left their names carved on this rock. Giraffe petroglyphs found in the region of Gebel el-Silsila. The rock faces have been used for extensive quarrying of materials for temple building especially during the period specified as the New Kingdom. The Giraffe depictions are located near a stela of the king Amenhotep IV. The images are not dated, but they are probably dated from the Predynastic periods.
Ethiopia Tiya
Gabon Ogooue River Valley Epona Elarmekora Kongo Boumba Lindili Kaya Kaya
Libya Akakus Jebel Uweinat
Morocco The Draa River valley. Taouz.Gonzalo de Salazar,"The Chariots of Sahara", Adoranten, Tanum: Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art, 2000. Akka Smara
Namibia Twyfelfontein
Niger Life-size giraffe carvings on Dabous Rock, Aïr Mountains
Nigeria Igbara Oke Petroglyphs Birnin kudu rock site
South Africa Driekops Eiland near KimberleyParkington, J. Morris, D. & Rusch, N. 2008. Karoo rock engravings. Clanwilliam: Krakadouw Trust; Morris, D. & Beaumont, P. 2004. Archaeology in the Northern Cape: some key sites. Kimberley: McGregor Museum. ǀXam and ǂKhomani heartland in the Karoo, Northern Cape Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre near Kimberley, Northern Cape Keiskie near Calvinia, Northern Cape Tunisia
Ouesslat Mountain, Ain Kanfous and Zamla Tameghza The Tataouine Region, in particular Ghomrassen and Smar
Zambia Nyambwezi Falls in the north-west province
Asia Armenia
Ughtasar Paytasar Urtsadzor Aragats Gegham mountains Vardenis ridge See also Armenian Eternity sign
Azerbaijan
Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve Gemigaya Kalbajar Northern Absheron
China
Helan Mountains in Yinchuan Hua'an Engravings Kangjia shimenzi in Xinjiang Lianyungan Rock Engravings Petroglyphs in Zhuhai Yin Mountains in Inner Mongolia Chifeng Petroglyphs in Inner Mongolia
Georgia Trialeti petroglyphs
Hong Kong
Eight sites in Hong Kong: Tung Lung Island Kau Sai Chau Po Toi Island Cheung Chau Shek Pik on Lantau Island Wong Chuk Hang and Big Wave Bay on Hong Kong Island Lung Ha Wan in Sai Kung
India
Bhimbetka rock shelters, Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, India. Yogimatha rock painting , Nuapada District, Odisha, India. Kupgal petroglyphs on Dolerite Dyke, near Bellary, Karnataka, India. Kudopi, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. Konkan Petroglyphs, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India. Hiwale, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. Barsu, Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra, India. Devihasol, Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra, India Edakkal Caves, Wayanad District, Kerala, India. Kollur, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu 35 km from Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. A large dolmen with four petroglyphs that portray men with trident and a wheel with spokes has been found. The discovery was made by K.T. Gandhirajan. This is the second instance when a dolmen with petrographs has been found in Tamil Nadu, India.Dolmen with petroglyphs found near Villupuram. Beta.thehindu.com (2009-09-19). Retrieved on 2013-02-12. In October 2018, petroglyphs were discovered in the Ratnagiri and Rajapur areas in the Konkan region of western Maharashtra. Those rock carvings which might date back to 10,000 BC, depict animals like hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses which are not found in that region of India. Some carving depicts, what appears to be Pisces constellation.
Perumukkal, Tindivanam District, Tamil Nadu, India. Unakoti near Kailashahar in North Tripura District, Tripura, India. Usgalimal rock engravings, Kushavati river banks, in Goa Ladakhi rock art in Ladakh, NW Indian Himalaya.Petroglyphs of Ladakh: The Withering Monuments. tibetheritagefund.org Ratnagiri Maharashtra Petroglyphs, An -long petroglyph in Devache Gothane village in Rajapur district, Maharashtra Kethaiyurumpu, Tamil Nadu. Situated 28 km north west of Dindigal, Tamil Nadu nearby Idaiyakottai and six km south west of Oddanchartam has revealed several petroglyphs mostly represent abstract symbols on two rocks, which looks like a temporary rock shelter were noticed adjacent to a Murugan temple which is in ruins on top of the Kothaiyurumbu hill
Iran
During recent years a large number of rock carvings has been identified in different parts of Iran. The vast majority depict the ibex. Rock drawings were found in December 2016 near Golpayegan, Iran, which may be the oldest drawings discovered, with one cluster possibly 40,000 years old. Accurate estimations were unavailable due to US sanctions.
The oldest pictographs in Iran are seen in Yafteh cave in Lorestan that date back 40,000 and the oldest petroglyph discovered belongs to Timareh dating back to 40,800 years ago.
Iran provides demonstrations of script formation from pictogram, ideogram, linear (2300 BC) or proto Elamite, geometric old Elamite script, Pahlevi script, Arabic script (906 years ago), Kufi script, and Farsi script back to at least 250 years ago. More than 50000 petroglyphs have been discovered, extended over all Iran's states.Universal Common language (book); Iran Petrogylphs, Ideogram Symbols (book); Rock Museums Rock Arts (Iran Petroglyphs) (book)
Israel Kibbutz Ginosar Har Karkom Negev
Japan
Awashima shrine (Kitakyūshū city)Nobuhiro, Yoshida (1994) The Handbook For Petrograph Fieldwork, Chou Art Publishing, , p. 57 Fugoppe Cave, Hokkaido Hikoshima (Shimonoseki city) Miyajima Temiya cave (Otaru city)Nobuhiro, Yoshida (1994) The Handbook For Petrograph Fieldwork, Chou Art Publishing, , p. 54
Jordan Wadi Rum Wadi Faynan
Kazakhstan
Koksu River, in Almaty Province Chumysh River basin, Tamgaly Tas on the Ili River Tamgaly – a World Heritage Site nearly of Almaty
Kyrgyzstan
Several sites in the Tien Shan mountains: Cholpon-Ata, the Talas valley, Saimaluu Tash, and on the rock outcrop called Suleiman's Throne in Osh in the Fergana valley
Laos Plain of Jars
South Korea Bangudae Petroglyphs
Macau Coloane
Malaysia Lumuyu Petroglyphs
Mongolia Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai, UNESCO World Heritage site, 2011Petroglyphic Complexes of the Mongolian Altai – UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Whc.unesco.org (2011-06-28). Retrieved on 2013-02-12.Fitzhugh, William W. and Kortum, Richard (2012) Rock Art and Archaeology: Investigating Ritual Landscape in the Mongolian Altai. Field Report 2011. The Arctic Studies Center, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Petroglyphs found in the area of Bayan-Ovoo.Prehistoric petroglyphs found in the area of Bayan-Ovoo (approximately 42,2379 N, 105,5360 E), as described and published by De Salazar Serantes in 1998 ("Discovery of Prehistoric Ruins in Gobi Desert", by Gonzalo de Salazar Serantes, Adoranten1998. Tanum: Scandinavian Society for Prehistoric Art, 1998, pp 66–69).
Pakistan Ancient Rock Carvings of Sindh Rock art and petroglyphs in Northern Areas,
Philippines
Angono Petroglyphs of Rizal, Philippines
Saudi Arabia
"Graffiti Rocks", about 110 km SW of Riyadh off the Mecca highway Arwa, west of Riyadh al Jawf, near al Jawf al Jawf, Camel Carving Site Jubbah, Umm Samnan, north of Hail Janin Cave, south of Hail Yatib, south of Hail Milihiya, south of Hail Jebel al Lawz, north of Tabuk Wadi Damm, near Tabuk Wadi Abu Oud, near al Ula Shuwaymis, north of Madina Jebel al Manjour & Ratt, north of Madina Hanakiya, north of Madina Shimli Bir Hima, north of Najran Tathleeth, north of Najran Al-Magar, in Najd
Taiwan The Wanshan Rock Carvings Archeological Site near Maolin District, Kaohsiung, were discovered between 1978 and 2002.
Thailand Pha Taem National Park
Vietnam Rock engravings in Sapa, Sa Pa, Lào Cai Province Rock engravings in Namdan, Xín Mần District, Hà Giang Province
Yemen Eriosh Petroglyphs, island of Socotra
Europe
England Boscawen-un, St Buryan Cup and ring marked rocks in: Northumberland, County Durham, Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire, Gardom's Edge, Derbyshire, Creswell Crags, Nottingham
Finland Hauensuoli, Hanko, Finland
France
Prehistoric rock engravings of the Fontainebleau Forest Vallée des Merveilles, Mercantour National Park, France
Ireland Newgrange Knowth Dowth Loughcrew Tara Clonfinlough Stone Boheh Stone
Italy Rock Drawings in Valcamonica – World Heritage Site, Italy (biggest European site, over 350,000) Bagnolo stele, Valcamonica, Italy Grotta del Genovese, Sicily, Italy Grotta dell'Addaura, Sicily, Italy Rock Engravings in Grosio (in Valtellina), Italy
Northern Ireland Knockmany
Sess Kilgreen
Norway
Rock carvings at Alta, World Heritage Site (1985) Rock carvings in Central Norway Rock carvings at Møllerstufossen Rock carvings at Tennes
Portugal Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley, Portugal
Scotland Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume, North Ayrshire Burghead Bull, Burghead Townhead, Galloway Ballochmyle cup and ring marks
Spain
Petroglyphs in Louro, Monte Tetón, and Carnota, in GaliciaPhotos on Celticland.com.
Russia
White Sea petroglyphs, Republic of Karelia, Russia Petroglyph Park near Petrozavodsk–Lake Onega, Russia Tomskaya Pisanitsa Kanozero Petroglyphs Sikachi-Alyan, Khabarovsk Krai Kapova cave, Bashkortostan Sunduki Petroglyphs, Khakassia
Sweden
Tanumshede (Bohuslän); World Heritage Site (1994) Himmelstalund (by Norrköping in Östergötland) Enköping (Uppland) Southwest Skåne (Götaland) Alvhem (Västra Götaland) Torhamn (Blekinge) Nämforsen (Ångermanland) Häljesta (Västmanland) Slagsta (Södermanland) Glösa (Jämtland) Gärde (Jämtland) Flatruet (Härjedalen) Grannberget (Härjedalen) The King's Grave at Kivik Fäbodristning from Dalarna Norrforsen (Umeå) Släbro rock carvings in Nyköping (Södermanland)
Turkey Kagizman, Kars Cunni Cave, Erzurum Esatli, Ordu Gevaruk Valley, Hakkâri Hakkari Trisin, Hakkâri Latmos / Beşparmak Güdül, Ankara
Ukraine Kamyana Mohyla, Zaporizhzhia Oblast Kurgan stelae
Wales Garn Turne, Pembrokeshire
Central and South America and the Caribbean
Argentina
Cueva de las Manos, Santa Cruz Talampaya National Park, La Rioja Lihué Calel National Park, La Pampa
Aruba Arikok National Park Quadiriki Caves Ayo Rock Formations
Brazil The oldest reliably dated rock art in the Americas is known as the "Horny Little Man." It is petroglyph depicting a stick figure with an oversized phallus and carved in Lapa do Santo, a cave in central-eastern Brazil and dates from 12,000 to 9,000 years ago.Choi, Charles. "Call this ancient rock carving 'little horny man'." Science on NBC News. 22 Feb 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2012. Serra da Capivara National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Piauí