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Writing on the wall: Palestinian engravings tell tales of heritage, faith

A history and geography teacher has devoted decades to painstakingly deciphering Palestine's rich heritage as depicted on the walls of its ancient buildings.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank — For more than three decades, Ibtisam Sulieman has been fascinated with the symbols that adorn the buildings of Palestine. The history and geography teacher snaps photos of the vegetal engravings, geometric shapes, crosses, symbols of the Virgin Mary and Arabic letters engraved on the facades.

Dating them or deciphering their meaning, however, has been far from easy.

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