10

Site
Site name
09/056
Toponym(s) of the site

Aqba Irlarlaren

Description

A large cliff wall located slightly east of the Aqba Toula, along the caravan route that crossed the massif. The site shows a rich repertoire of Tifinagh inscriptions and figurative petroglyphs representing scenes of caravanners and fighting among humans riding camels and horses. Some modern inscriptions and scratches are visible as well. The site includes the longest Libyco-Berber inscription recorded in the Fezzan. Two deep cracks divide the rock surface into three main portions: the left and center ones show a dense cluster of figurative petroglyphs, while the right side contains almost exclusively Tifinagh inscriptions. The figurative motifs represent camels and horses – with or without riders – pecked in different styles and in varying degrees of detailing. It is possible to distinguish two registers: the first, at the top of the wall, contains a large number of horses and humans holding shields. The second register, along the bottom of the wall, contains a large number of camels. On the left side of the wall, a lion hunting scene includes two bitriangular camel riders hunting the lion with elongated objects, possibly lances or spears. The scene is likely to have been re-pecked and shows several indistinct superimpositions.