U+10997 "𐦗" Meroitic Hieroglyphic Letter Qa Unicode Character

U+10997 "𐦗" Meroitic Hieroglyphic Letter Qa is a script character used in the Meroitic writing system of ancient Nubia, representing the consonantal sound /q/. This hieroglyphic letter belongs to the Meroitic Hieroglyphs block, which was added to the Unicode Standard in 2010 to support scholarly transcription and digital preservation of the Meroitic language. The glyph resembles a simplified picture of a seated or kneeling figure, typical of the monumental hieroglyphic form of the script, and it is distinct from the cursive Meroitic counterpart used for everyday writing. Scholars continue to study the Meroitic script, which was deciphered in the early 20th century but still holds many unsolved linguistic mysteries.