Bidzar is a small village on the road to Guider situated on the Maroua-Garoua road in the north of Cameroon near the border with Chad. On the vast arid and deserted site facing the Bidzar village, marble rocks are covered with petroglyphs.
The rock engravings in the village of Bidzar were discovered by the French researcher Buisson in 1993. A total of 500 engraved figures are displayed all over the marble flagstone field. The marble slab engravings extend around the Bidzar village on 2,5km from north to south and on 1km from east to west. They are spread around the site without any specific link between them. The exact age of the engravings has yet to be determined but they are dated between 300 years to 3000 years. The calcareous marble (cipolin) which serves as the base for the engravings seems to have been chosen on purpose thanks to its low resistance to carvings. The other rocks of the regions would have been more complicated to engrave. For instance, the granite is too hard for the task, whereas the micaschist, is too soft. An iron tool has certainly been used to do the engravings. The question of the representation of the drawings and figures is also speculation. The figures seem to represent a myth, a story, or a tale. The site is threatened by erosion, weather, and human actions. The calcareous marble is indeed exploited by the cement plants and marble factories of the region which represents a real menace. The Bidzar site is an amazing heritage from our ancestors showing their ingenuity and artistic talents. It reveals as well their ability to use the environment around them to show their vision of the world.
