Documenting the petroglyphs of Barqa

Four teams of local archaeologists and experts of the Durham University worked on documenting the different sites. In total, 176 Early Islamic inscriptions in the region of Cyrenaica were documented. These inscriptions were located at: Benghazi, Tukra, Church and Museum of Tolmetha, Al Marj, the Musuem of Al Baida in Al Bida, the Museum of Shahat, the Cemetry of Baida in Masa, and a storage room in Gadabia. A proper and safe storage room was facilitated in Teuykra, Susa, to safeguard the inscriptions that were scattered on site and at danger of being destroyed or looted.

Outreach and training activities were organised at schools and universities, hence increasing awareness of the importance of these inscriptions and the regional history and culture. Students of schools (105) and universities (39) were trained in the use of the HeDAP and the documentation of heritage under threat. All inscriptions are now collected in a digital catalogue at the DoA.