The use of Roman and Late-antique spolia in the erection of Umayyad infrastructures is extensively documented, from Bilad al-Sham to al-Andalus. Particularly in the latter, spolia were key in the construction of mosques, of which the Friday Mosque of Córdoba is the most paradigmatic example. The reuse of decorative and architectural materials in these religious spaces has been broadly discussed, and it has been often concluded that there were aesthetic, religious and ideological reasons, as well as strong political needs of legitimation and representation of the Umayyad dynasty. In this context, the case of the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra' is quite striking. Here, while spolia seem to have been absent, the capitals designed for its prayer room stand out for their particular characteristics, often described as resembling Visigothic models and as a product of rush. This paper aims to bring together the information available about the use of spolia in Umayyad mosques and its possible explanations, as well as to bring forward the particularities of the series of capitals designed for the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra', suggesting new ideas for their interpretation.
{"title":"Spolia and Umayyad Mosques","authors":"Carmen González Gutiérrez","doi":"10.1558/jia.23646","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.23646","url":null,"abstract":"The use of Roman and Late-antique spolia in the erection of Umayyad infrastructures is extensively documented, from Bilad al-Sham to al-Andalus. Particularly in the latter, spolia were key in the construction of mosques, of which the Friday Mosque of Córdoba is the most paradigmatic example. The reuse of decorative and architectural materials in these religious spaces has been broadly discussed, and it has been often concluded that there were aesthetic, religious and ideological reasons, as well as strong political needs of legitimation and representation of the Umayyad dynasty. In this context, the case of the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra' is quite striking. Here, while spolia seem to have been absent, the capitals designed for its prayer room stand out for their particular characteristics, often described as resembling Visigothic models and as a product of rush. This paper aims to bring together the information available about the use of spolia in Umayyad mosques and its possible explanations, as well as to bring forward the particularities of the series of capitals designed for the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra', suggesting new ideas for their interpretation.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49527339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper offers a study of a particular assemblage of ceramics retrieved in a pit in the Islamic town of Madinat Ilbirah (Granada, Spain) to analyse the processes of formation of the archaeological record. This can in turn provide interesting information on the patterns of use and discard of ceramics, and so contribute to a general picture of quotidian social practices in an Islamic town. The theoretical apparatus of the paper combines insights extracted from the works of M. B. Schiffer, well known for his contribution to the study of site formation processes, and methodological ideas by C. Orton, specialist on quantitative analysis of ceramics. These ideas have been circulated and debated by archaeologists for decades, but they have been scarcely applied to the debate on Islamic ceramics in al-Andalus. In this study they are adapted to the particular conditions of the pit assemblage in Ilbirah. The results of this analysis show that the deposit of ceramics found in the pit contains elements of two well-defined periods of early Islamic al-Andalus (late Emiral, 850–925, and Caliphal, 925–1025), and that there are at least three moments of accumulation. The earliest and latest moment of accumulation were built over a relatively long number of years, but the intermediate moment seems to correspond to a process of discarding of the elements of a single domestic unit over a period of about five to ten years. The main aim of this paper is to draw attention to the possibilities and the need of advanced quantitative research in pottery studies. It is hoped that this study will inspire similar works in other Islamic sites, so that significant comparisons can be built.
{"title":"Quantitative Analysis of Ceramics and the Formation of the Archaeological Record in Madinat Ilbirah (Granada, Spain)","authors":"Miguel Jiménez Puertas","doi":"10.1558/jia.23643","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.23643","url":null,"abstract":"This paper offers a study of a particular assemblage of ceramics retrieved in a pit in the Islamic town of Madinat Ilbirah (Granada, Spain) to analyse the processes of formation of the archaeological record. This can in turn provide interesting information on the patterns of use and discard of ceramics, and so contribute to a general picture of quotidian social practices in an Islamic town. The theoretical apparatus of the paper combines insights extracted from the works of M. B. Schiffer, well known for his contribution to the study of site formation processes, and methodological ideas by C. Orton, specialist on quantitative analysis of ceramics. These ideas have been circulated and debated by archaeologists for decades, but they have been scarcely applied to the debate on Islamic ceramics in al-Andalus. In this study they are adapted to the particular conditions of the pit assemblage in Ilbirah. The results of this analysis show that the deposit of ceramics found in the pit contains elements of two well-defined periods of early Islamic al-Andalus (late Emiral, 850–925, and Caliphal, 925–1025), and that there are at least three moments of accumulation. The earliest and latest moment of accumulation were built over a relatively long number of years, but the intermediate moment seems to correspond to a process of discarding of the elements of a single domestic unit over a period of about five to ten years. The main aim of this paper is to draw attention to the possibilities and the need of advanced quantitative research in pottery studies. It is hoped that this study will inspire similar works in other Islamic sites, so that significant comparisons can be built.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46449742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Modernist archaeology involves the dating and ordering of events, construction phases, objects, people, or processes in well-bounded and discrete sequences. The notion that objects or monuments date to one time or one cultural phase, however, is problematic, particularly in the case of large stone monuments, such as megaliths, whose construction and use are generally dated to the Neolithic, between 6000 and 2500 BCE. This paper examines the methodological challenges of such work and surveys what the archaeological record reveals about the nature of Andalusi engagements with megaliths.
{"title":"Islamic Lives of Iberian Megaliths","authors":"K. Lillios","doi":"10.1558/jia.23647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.23647","url":null,"abstract":"Modernist archaeology involves the dating and ordering of events, construction phases, objects, people, or processes in well-bounded and discrete sequences. The notion that objects or monuments date to one time or one cultural phase, however, is problematic, particularly in the case of large stone monuments, such as megaliths, whose construction and use are generally dated to the Neolithic, between 6000 and 2500 BCE. This paper examines the methodological challenges of such work and surveys what the archaeological record reveals about the nature of Andalusi engagements with megaliths.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48224847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper opens with a consideration of the biography of a large basin discovered during excavations at the Abbasid capital of Samarra. The large, circular, basin from Samarra closely matches historical descriptions of a fountain located in the city’s Congregational Mosque which became known as “kasat firun,” or the “Cup of Pharaoh” and, since its discovery, this excavated basin and the historical account of the fountain have often been conflated as one and the same. The excavated basin is carved from a non-local—and probably Egyptian—stone which may have generated its mysterious association with the Pharaonic past. A consideration of the possible sources from which such a large stone basin might have been obtained during the Islamic period, however, opens up a wider discussion related to the reuse of pre-Islamic artefacts as water features. This paper explores possible scenarios through which the basin from Samarra might have been acquired by the Abbasid caliphs alongside the logistics associated with its transport to Samarra. In addition, the likely motivations for the installation of this enigmatic stone basin are evaluated—including pragmatic reuse of an impressive piece of stonework, a symbolic statement of contemporary pre-eminence over the rulers of the past or perhaps even beliefs in the quasi-magical powers of ancient objects. Alongside this, the existence of several comparable, near-contemporary, basins, demonstrate that the reuse of objects from the past as contemporary water features in important locations, was a wider practice seen in both the Islamic world and beyond. As an object that seems to have led multiple lives, the complex biography of the basin from Samarra illuminates the ways in which material remains of the past were understood and repurposed during the Abbasid Caliphate.
{"title":"“Cup of Pharaoh” from Samarra and the Reuse of Ancient spolia as Water Features in the medieval Islamic World","authors":"P. Brown","doi":"10.1558/jia.23645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.23645","url":null,"abstract":"This paper opens with a consideration of the biography of a large basin discovered during excavations at the Abbasid capital of Samarra. The large, circular, basin from Samarra closely matches historical descriptions of a fountain located in the city’s Congregational Mosque which became known as “kasat firun,” or the “Cup of Pharaoh” and, since its discovery, this excavated basin and the historical account of the fountain have often been conflated as one and the same. The excavated basin is carved from a non-local—and probably Egyptian—stone which may have generated its mysterious association with the Pharaonic past. A consideration of the possible sources from which such a large stone basin might have been obtained during the Islamic period, however, opens up a wider discussion related to the reuse of pre-Islamic artefacts as water features. This paper explores possible scenarios through which the basin from Samarra might have been acquired by the Abbasid caliphs alongside the logistics associated with its transport to Samarra. In addition, the likely motivations for the installation of this enigmatic stone basin are evaluated—including pragmatic reuse of an impressive piece of stonework, a symbolic statement of contemporary pre-eminence over the rulers of the past or perhaps even beliefs in the quasi-magical powers of ancient objects. Alongside this, the existence of several comparable, near-contemporary, basins, demonstrate that the reuse of objects from the past as contemporary water features in important locations, was a wider practice seen in both the Islamic world and beyond. As an object that seems to have led multiple lives, the complex biography of the basin from Samarra illuminates the ways in which material remains of the past were understood and repurposed during the Abbasid Caliphate.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47801711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Based on the mostly unpublished finds of a 1970s excavation and the initial results of a 2020 survey and excavation of the remains of an Early Islamic Plot-and-Berm (P&B) agroecosystem south of ancient Caesarea/Qaysariyya, this study discusses the agricultural incorporation of refuse in a pristine aeolian sand environment. The P&B agroecosystem, characterized by anthro-terrain/earthworks of sunken agricultural plots delimited by sand berms, comprises an innovative initiative to cultivate dunefields on a high groundwater table. The key element for the sustainability of this unique agrotechnology was refuse. The refuse, extracted from nearby town dumps, included ash, carbonate, trace elements and artifacts. It was probably sorted into small artifacts and grey loam. It was then brought to the fields, not only combined to stabilize the erodible and initially unvegetated berm surface until today, but also partly altered the physical and chemical properties of the sand and increased its fertility, mainly in the plots, to form sandy loam anthrosols. The pristine aeolian sand substrate enabled a clear and quantitative stratigraphic and pedological differentiation of the refuse additions. The transportation of human waste to the fields and its incorporation into the natural sediment to form an anthrosol formed part of the "waste stream" of Caesarea's Early Islamic population. Such human-modified soil environments by means of manuring, gained a specific signature and would have been considered "soil places" which became part of the local onomasticon of placenames and probably created "cultural soilscapes." The clear aeolian sandy substrate makes the P&B agroecosystems an excellent case study on soil enrichment by refuse, and enlightens us about the relative amounts and methodologies of refuse extraction, sorting, transportation, and incorporation.
{"title":"Refuse Usage and Architectural Reuse in the Field","authors":"I. Taxel, Joel Roskin","doi":"10.1558/jia.23644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.23644","url":null,"abstract":"Based on the mostly unpublished finds of a 1970s excavation and the initial results of a 2020 survey and excavation of the remains of an Early Islamic Plot-and-Berm (P&B) agroecosystem south of ancient Caesarea/Qaysariyya, this study discusses the agricultural incorporation of refuse in a pristine aeolian sand environment. The P&B agroecosystem, characterized by anthro-terrain/earthworks of sunken agricultural plots delimited by sand berms, comprises an innovative initiative to cultivate dunefields on a high groundwater table. The key element for the sustainability of this unique agrotechnology was refuse. The refuse, extracted from nearby town dumps, included ash, carbonate, trace elements and artifacts. It was probably sorted into small artifacts and grey loam. It was then brought to the fields, not only combined to stabilize the erodible and initially unvegetated berm surface until today, but also partly altered the physical and chemical properties of the sand and increased its fertility, mainly in the plots, to form sandy loam anthrosols. The pristine aeolian sand substrate enabled a clear and quantitative stratigraphic and pedological differentiation of the refuse additions. The transportation of human waste to the fields and its incorporation into the natural sediment to form an anthrosol formed part of the \"waste stream\" of Caesarea's Early Islamic population. Such human-modified soil environments by means of manuring, gained a specific signature and would have been considered \"soil places\" which became part of the local onomasticon of placenames and probably created \"cultural soilscapes.\" The clear aeolian sandy substrate makes the P&B agroecosystems an excellent case study on soil enrichment by refuse, and enlightens us about the relative amounts and methodologies of refuse extraction, sorting, transportation, and incorporation.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46850716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
During the intermediate Islamic period, the settlement of Safed was transformed from a small unknown village in Upper Galilee to an important stronghold and administrative center, aggravating the problem of the town’s water supply. Lacking natural springs, Safed depended on cisterns fed by gutters that channeled seasonal rainwater from the roofs and on distant springs in the Nahal Amud ravine. As the town’s population grew, its rulers were required to install public water systems. Our field study of the region reveals several Mamluk water systems whose outstanding features are an aqueduct that channeled water by force of gravity from 'Ayn Biriyya to the Crusader/Mamluk citadel in Safed, and a spring tunnel flowing beneath the town that was accessible via shafts in the houses. The composition of the water in the tunnel is similar to that of a famous ritual bath in one of these houses, indicating a probable connection. The water systems were dated using Uranium-Thorium analysis and by radiocarbon dating. An ancient spring tunnel at the nearby site of 'Ayn al-Zaytun that may have inspired the construction of Safed’s water systems is also discussed. The archaeological finds and dating are consistent with several historical sources describing the construction of water systems in Safed.
{"title":"Mitigating Water Scarcity in the Medieval and Islamic Periods","authors":"Yinon Shivtiel, A. Frumkin, M. Bar-Matthews","doi":"10.1558/jia.20244","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.20244","url":null,"abstract":"During the intermediate Islamic period, the settlement of Safed was transformed from a small unknown village in Upper Galilee to an important stronghold and administrative center, aggravating the problem of the town’s water supply. Lacking natural springs, Safed depended on cisterns fed by gutters that channeled seasonal rainwater from the roofs and on distant springs in the Nahal Amud ravine. As the town’s population grew, its rulers were required to install public water systems. Our field study of the region reveals several Mamluk water systems whose outstanding features are an aqueduct that channeled water by force of gravity from 'Ayn Biriyya to the Crusader/Mamluk citadel in Safed, and a spring tunnel flowing beneath the town that was accessible via shafts in the houses. The composition of the water in the tunnel is similar to that of a famous ritual bath in one of these houses, indicating a probable connection. The water systems were dated using Uranium-Thorium analysis and by radiocarbon dating. An ancient spring tunnel at the nearby site of 'Ayn al-Zaytun that may have inspired the construction of Safed’s water systems is also discussed. The archaeological finds and dating are consistent with several historical sources describing the construction of water systems in Safed.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43196944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article presents a unique example of a roughly round ballista stone (ca. 32 x 31 cm) retrieved during excavations at Apollonia-Arsuf. It bears a two-line (one horizontal, the other vertical) Arabic inscription. Given the context of the ballista stones found at the site, it can be dated to March–April 1265, when the town and castle of Arsur were under siege by the Mamluk army headed by Baybars. The ballista stone is analyzed in relation to the site history and archaeology, its inscription, and the Mamluk sultanate 13th-century stone-throwing siege-machine artillery.
这篇文章展示了一个独特的例子，在Apolonia Arsuf的挖掘中发现了一块大致圆形的ballista石（约32 x 31厘米）。上面有两行（一行是水平的，另一行是垂直的）阿拉伯铭文。考虑到在该遗址发现的弹道石的背景，它可以追溯到1265年3月至4月，当时阿尔苏尔镇和城堡被以拜巴尔为首的马穆鲁克军队围困。巴利斯塔石碑与遗址历史和考古、其铭文以及13世纪马穆鲁克苏丹国投掷石块的攻城机炮有关。
{"title":"An Inscribed Ballista Stone from Apollonia-Arsuf, Israel, and Stone-throwing Siege Machines in the Medieval Near East","authors":"S. Heidemann, D. Nicolle, O. Tal","doi":"10.1558/jia.20280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.20280","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents a unique example of a roughly round ballista stone (ca. 32 x 31 cm) retrieved during excavations at Apollonia-Arsuf. It bears a two-line (one horizontal, the other vertical) Arabic inscription. Given the context of the ballista stones found at the site, it can be dated to March–April 1265, when the town and castle of Arsur were under siege by the Mamluk army headed by Baybars. The ballista stone is analyzed in relation to the site history and archaeology, its inscription, and the Mamluk sultanate 13th-century stone-throwing siege-machine artillery.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48122617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Al-Andalus desde el mar. Una aproximación al sistema portuario de la Almeria andalusí, by Marta Del Mastro Ochoa. BAR International Series S3012. BAR Publishing, 2020. 168 pp., 64 figures in colour or B&W, 22 tables. £42.00. ISBN-13: 9781407357737.
{"title":"Al-Andalus desde el mar. Una aproximación al sistema portuario de la Almeria andalusí, by Marta Del Mastro Ochoa.","authors":"J. Collazo","doi":"10.1558/jia.22046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.22046","url":null,"abstract":"Al-Andalus desde el mar. Una aproximación al sistema portuario de la Almeria andalusí, by Marta Del Mastro Ochoa. BAR International Series S3012. BAR Publishing, 2020. 168 pp., 64 figures in colour or B&W, 22 tables. £42.00. ISBN-13: 9781407357737.","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46635330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Corisande Fenwick, M. Sterry, D. Mattingly, Louise Rayne, Y. Bokbot
Modern scholarship on the medieval Sahara has focused on a handful of famous entrepôt sites that have their origins in the 8th century or later, and as a result we still understand very poorly the nature and extent of Saharan oasis settlement and agriculture in the golden age of Saharan trade. This article presents the first securely dated chronology for oasis development in the north-west Sahara based on three seasons of archaeological survey and a comprehensive radiocarbon dating programme in the Wadi Draa, Morocco. The Draa Valley contains some of the largest, most populous and most productive oases in the Sahara, as well as serving as an important travel corridor for trading caravans coming from West Africa to access the Atlas passes and reach Marrakech. Focusing on evidence from a large zone of abandoned oases on the Kasr Bounou Plain, this article demonstrates that while oasis agriculture and settlement was taking place between the 4th–8th centuries—well before the Muslim conquest of Morocco—there was a significant increase in settlement and agricultural exploitation from the 9th century. This phenomenon is marked by the appearance of substantial mudbrick settlements, along with irrigation and field systems, and is coterminous with the development of the medieval trading entrepôt of Sijilmasa. A settlement boom and significant investment in irrigated oasis agriculture occurred between the 11th and 13th centuries, contemporary with Almoravid and Almohad rule of the Draa, followed by a retraction and abandonment of much of the oasis by the 16th century. The new evidence from the Draa challenges the long-held belief that sedentarization and irrigated oasis agriculture were unique to the medieval period in the north-west Sahara. OPEN ACCESS CC BY-NC-ND
{"title":"Medieval Boom in the North-west Sahara","authors":"Corisande Fenwick, M. Sterry, D. Mattingly, Louise Rayne, Y. Bokbot","doi":"10.1558/jia.20440","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/jia.20440","url":null,"abstract":"Modern scholarship on the medieval Sahara has focused on a handful of famous entrepôt sites that have their origins in the 8th century or later, and as a result we still understand very poorly the nature and extent of Saharan oasis settlement and agriculture in the golden age of Saharan trade. This article presents the first securely dated chronology for oasis development in the north-west Sahara based on three seasons of archaeological survey and a comprehensive radiocarbon dating programme in the Wadi Draa, Morocco. The Draa Valley contains some of the largest, most populous and most productive oases in the Sahara, as well as serving as an important travel corridor for trading caravans coming from West Africa to access the Atlas passes and reach Marrakech. Focusing on evidence from a large zone of abandoned oases on the Kasr Bounou Plain, this article demonstrates that while oasis agriculture and settlement was taking place between the 4th–8th centuries—well before the Muslim conquest of Morocco—there was a significant increase in settlement and agricultural exploitation from the 9th century. This phenomenon is marked by the appearance of substantial mudbrick settlements, along with irrigation and field systems, and is coterminous with the development of the medieval trading entrepôt of Sijilmasa. A settlement boom and significant investment in irrigated oasis agriculture occurred between the 11th and 13th centuries, contemporary with Almoravid and Almohad rule of the Draa, followed by a retraction and abandonment of much of the oasis by the 16th century. The new evidence from the Draa challenges the long-held belief that sedentarization and irrigated oasis agriculture were unique to the medieval period in the north-west Sahara.\u0000 \u0000OPEN ACCESS CC BY-NC-ND","PeriodicalId":41225,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Islamic Archaeology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47016450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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