The Islamic Period in Ramla
Anna de Vincenz

The archaeology of the Islamic periods has only lately received attention in scholarly circles. Much research has been conducted in the field of architecture because of the impressive remains surviving. In recent decades the field of Islamic archaeology has gained in importance and the study of various aspects of the material culture has begun. Hence, next to the unearthing of desert castles and the residences of Muslim rulers, the glazed ceramics they used have attracted the attention of different scholars, also because of their beauty (One of the most outstanding books about Muslim ceramics is Jean Soustiel's La Céramique Islamique, Le Guide du Connaisseur. Fribourg. 1985). However, Islamic archaeology is still in its infancy, especially regarding aspects of daily life. More and more sites associated with the Islamic periods have been the object of excavation projects: Elia (Jerusalem), Taburiyye (Tiberias), Qaimun (Yokne'am), 'Akko (Acre) and of course also at Ramla.

Ramla has traditionally been associated by Christian pilgrims with St Helena and a large cistern known as Bir el-Aneziye. Situated in the proximity, on the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem, was described by the Marquis Melchior de Vogüé during one of his trips to Palestine in the 1860s or 1870s, and an inscription found there dates it to 789 from the reign of the 'Abbasid Khalif Harun er-Rashid. In the early years of the State of Israel (1949 and 1956) excavations were conducted by J. Kaplan in the area of the White Mosque and a short report was published. These excavations concentrated on the architectural remains of the White Mosque and on the buildings around it, as well as focusing on the building methods and materials. A sounding conducted in the courtyard of the mosque exposed three subterranean cisterns, two of which had already been examined in a survey of the Palestine Exploration Fund in the 19th century. Two inscriptions were found and dated respectively to the reigns of Beybar (1268) and Sultan Muhammad ibn Qalaun (1318). The pottery found in the area belonged mainly to the later periods, Crusader and Mamluk, although some earlier sherds were also found. The mosque was probably built during the reign of the Umayyads and then renovated in later periods, with the beautiful minaret itself being rebuilt entirely in the Mamluk period. In different soundings around the mosque the excavators exposed the yellow sand called raml, proving that this part of ancient Ramla had been built on sand dunes as testified by its name. This was the beginning of a series of research projects conducted in Ramla with the aim of understanding the city layout and its subsequent development. In 1965, Avraham Eitan and Myriam Rosen-Ayalon conducted excavations to determine the plan of the Umayyad city of which little is known. They uncovered 250m2 of the south-western part of the city. Architectural remains were found, including water channels, a pottery kiln and walls belonging to industrial installations. Many important small finds were made: more than 400 complete ceramic vessels and more than 200 bags of fragments were counted. The pottery consisted mainly of unglazed wares, jars, jugs, bowls and flasks, but also figurines and zoomorphic vessels. Lamps were found in large quantities and these were of different forms and decorations. An important discovery was that of molds for ceramic objects which give us a precise indication as to the mode of production at that time. It seems that the excavation exposed one edge of the ancient city where the ceramic market and the potter's quarters were situated, and the large quantity of pottery finds, molds and kiln wastes confirmed this. Other finds included glass fragments, stone and metal objects, and some coins. In the same year, a hoard of nearly 400 gold coins was discovered by construction workers, dating to the 10th century C.E. at the latest and these reached Ramla from different parts of the Muslim world. An important discovery was made in 1973 by Menashe Broshi in the courtyard of a private house in one quarter of the city. It is a unique mosaic floor depicting a mihrab or prayer niche, consisting of an arch supported by two columns, with an inscription within the arch of a verse from the Koran summoning the faithful to prayer. In the winter of 1979/80 Meir Ben-Dov excavated the area outside the mosque's northern enclosure wall. The remains there included an Ottoman tomb and construction phases of the mosque dating to the Mamluk period. The lowest layer was associated with the Umayyad construction phase of the mosque and characteristic pottery sherds of the 8th century were found. From the 1980s and until 1989, little work was done in Ramla and only in 1990 were excavations resumed by Eli Yanai in the area of the White Mosque. In 1991, Arieh Rosenberger continued to work in the same area. Recently there has been a renewal of massive excavations, but most of the reports from those excavations still await publication.

The largest project in Ramla was conducted by Don Glick and Deborah Gammil during the years 1992-1995. These excavations have together revealed large quantities of finds: the architectural remains of various industrial complexes (such as the complex linked to dyeing located some 800 m from the White Mosque (See Luz 197: 38, note 53), hydraulic installations (such as pools and subterranean reservoirs as well as cisterns in use in private residential areas), and additional buildings (both public and domestic). Abundant ceramic finds have been made, with more than 300 boxes stored in the IAA storerooms alone. Additional small finds include glass, coins, handles of jars with Arabic stamped inscriptions, as well as other metal and bone objects. For these excavations funding is seeked through this grant.