Arbeia Saturday 6 November 2004
Carvoran Sunday 7 November 2004

The first of the Writing on the Wall and Banipal Live readings was held at Arbeia Roman Fort and Museum in South Shields, and the second at The Roman Army Museum at Carvoran, Greenhead.

Samuel Shimon read his short story called C A R P E N T E R translated from the Arabic by Samira Kawar from Samuel's autobiographical novel An Iraqi in Paris

Hoda Barakat read an excerpt from her novel The Tiller of Waters, translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth.

Both writers read in Arabic, re-introducing the language to two parts of Hadrian's Wall where Arabic was first spoken 2000 years ago.

An English Translation was simultaneously projected to follow the pace of the readings.