Grotte de Bara-Bahau

Bara Bahau cave

The Bara-Bahau (or Bara-Bao) cave, some 100 m long, is one of the Palaeolithic caves in the Vézère valley (Dordogne, France).

It is of geological interest, notably for its eccentric concretions, and above all prehistoric, for the parietal engravings it contains. Its name comes from a local Occitan onomatopoeia meaning "badaboum", in reference to the collapsed blocks visible in the first room. Privately owned and open to the public, it was listed as a historic monument in 1961.

THE CAVE ENTRANCE

Formerly known as the Trou de la Cocagne, the entrance to this immense cavern was a popular picnic spot for the locals. In 1951, adventurers and speleologists Maud and Raoul Casteret were invited by Marcel Maufrangeas, president of the Bugue tourist office, to explore its most secret depths. Lying on the ground, Maud saw the first engraved features: a horse, then a cow "with beautiful horns". All in all, she discovered sixteen very large engravings that day.

THE ENGRAVING ROOM

At the far end of the gallery, cave bears hibernated in the tightest spot. Under their claws, the first artists crawled to draw three gigantic frescoes of animals from their era, lying down, on their knees and then standing up: aurochs, bison, reindeer, prehistoric horses, all engaged in a mad race to the depths of the cave. A masterpiece of cave art to be seen in its original version at BARA-BAHAU.