an unprecedented discovery of rock carvings in Morocco
Moroccan researchers discovered rock inscriptions that are the first of their kind in the Arab countries and Africa in the Orti Fallah region, south of the city of Essaouira, in a village called "Ida Okazu". They talk about ancient astronomy, which indicates that the ancient Amazighs in Morocco were interested in astronomy .
At the beginning of this year, the research team supervising the discovery began conducting scientific analyzes of these engraved stones in the Laboratory of Crystals and Meteorites at Ibn Zahr University in southern Morocco, and the results of the discovery were published in the international scientific journal Meteor News, which is supervised by the International Organization of Meteors on November 18. November 2018.
The leader of the research team, Abd al-Rahman Abhi, explains the context of this discovery in an exclusive statement, saying, "The discovery came within the framework of a scientific conference on scientific culture in Morocco, which was held in Essaouira in late 2017, and there a sheikh from the neighboring areas of the city presented to me that he had carved rocks in his possession." It suggests that stones fall from the sky, but it is not known what they indicate."
These stones consist of three engraved rocks called "Ida1", "Ida2" and "Ida3" in relation to the name of the area in which they were discovered, which is the "Ida Oukazzou" area in the city of Essaouira.
hese rocks belong to the category of mobile engraved stones that can be transferred to scientific laboratories to conduct scientific research on them according to the law of the Ministry of Culture, which considers this type of stone as a heritage that cannot be sold and is not allowed to be disposed of or change one of its features.
According to an article published by Abhi, an expert in meteorites and crystals in the International Scientific Journal of Meteors, the engraved rock "Ida1" is twenty centimeters long, 17 centimeters wide, and five centimeters thick, while the "Ida2" engraved rock is 18 centimeters long, 15 centimeters wide, and five centimeters thick. The inscription "Ida3" is 35 centimeters long, 27 centimeters wide, and 12 centimeters thick.
research team that works on these rock inscriptions consists of researchers in archeology interested in rock inscriptions, researchers in calligraphy, especially the Amazigh Tifinagh scripts , researchers in geology, and researchers in astronomy among ancient humans.
The matter is related to Abhi, the leader of the research team, a professor of meteorites at Ibn Zahr University, Fouad Khairy, a researcher at the Laboratory of Crystals and Meteorites at Ibn Zahr University, and Hassan Oknin, a researcher with a PhD in meteorology at Ibn Zahr University, in addition to al-Mahfouz Asmahari, a researcher at the Royal Institute of the Amazigh Language in Rabat, and Abdel Khalek . Lamjidi is a member of the National Office of the Moroccan Society of Petroglyphs (non-governmental).
The research team in Morocco is coordinating with the International Organization of Meteors, which recommended paying attention to these rock inscriptions, and confirmed that research in them will take more than ten years because they need deep and diverse studies.
Abhi, the supervisor of the University Museum of Meteorites in Agadir , says , "We will use researchers from Tunisia to determine the geological time of these rock inscriptions, because for the first time we are conducting research in the field of determining the geological time of rocks of this type, and it may require working with Italian and Spanish researchers and researchers from Russia. " ".
He added, "We are now in the process of making contacts with these researchers to find out who can provide assistance, since this research is very expensive, and therefore we are looking for someone to conduct these analyzes at an appropriate price or through a scientific partnership."
A discovery of important scientific value,
and Abhi explains in his speech that "what shows the qualitative addition to this discovery is that the field in which it is classified is archeology, and it does not exist in African countries," considering that this study "will be a good gesture and serves as the first building block to consolidate this Science in the Africa countries.
He added that so far there has not been any scientific paper in this field, "and therefore we affirm that this study will be the first of its kind, and the International Organization of Meteors called on researchers to rally around this science in African countries."
He pointed out that this discovery has an important advantage because it combines the ancient astronomy of the ancient man, and the graphology associated with the Amazigh (Tifnagh) with the ancient writing of the Amazigh, "and this is what gives this discovery a great advantage, and we at Ibn Zahr University seek to form a team of researchers interested in this science." .
For his part, Abd al-Majid Mosaddegh, Vice President of Ibn Zahr University in charge of scientific research, confirmed in a statement to Al-Jazeera Net that "scientific research when it has a number of partners, its scientific value is great, because the comprehensive view that is subject to examination by integrated and specific disciplines makes the scientific study more right.”
Oknin revealed the manifestations of the scientific value of these inscriptions, saying, "These rocks document the fall of a meteorite, and this is an indication that there is a meteorite crater near the place where these engraved rocks were discovered."
Great Challenges
The research team faced a set of challenges during the discovery of these rocks and during the conduct of analyzes in the laboratory to reveal the results of this discovery.
In this regard, Khairy says that the first of these challenges is represented in the fact that the discovered rocks are three in number, which raises the problem of determining their source and the relationship between them. To rely on absolute dating, especially with regard to the limestone crust that covers these rock inscriptions, and thirdly, there is a challenge related to the Amazigh writing that appears on the surface of the rock "Ida3", which are very old letters that are no longer in use today.
Khairy added that, in addition, "we encountered a major problem, which is the secrecy of the inhabitants of the area in which we discovered the engraved rocks about their source, and this makes us obtain information with great difficulty."
Promising research prospects
In response to a question about research prospects in this discovery, Abhi said, "First, we must establish a laboratory for this type of scientific research because it does not exist in Morocco, and we will try to establish a Moroccan team, and from it we will start establishing a global network that includes scientists from Europe countries Let's try to ascertain whether these rocks exist in the African worlds, because so far, through our research, we have not found them in them."
He stressed that they will intensify their research with partners to conduct analyzes outside Morocco, which are very accurate analyzes, especially with regard to knowing the age of these rocks, which will enhance an important group of meteorites in the first university museum of meteorites in Africa countries in Agadir.
Lamajidi concluded in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net by saying, "We wanted, by publishing the news of this discovery in the International Scientific Journal of Meteors, to motivate all disciplines that see that they can make a contribution in this field to form a multidisciplinary team to find out an important result of this discovery, and therefore this should not remain Engraved rocks are only on the shelves."
Source : websites