Aqaba Donald Whitcomb

oi.uchicago.edu MEDIEVAL AQABA Preliminary Field Plan T • T • • 1988, 1987 Excavations 1987 city plan Aqaba

Donald Whitcomb the beach. Only flat City Gate O jll «>ljj sand and a palm he port of Aqaba is Jordan's southern grove could be seen window on the world and has become on the surface a commercial port and tourist resort before excavations, of primary importance. The castle of which revealed a Aqaba, where pilgrims to Mecca rested in Mamluk and Ottoman times, was the great walled city, focus of only the most recent setdement. Before Saladin fought the Crusaders in its walls and this place, merchants of the Abbasid and Fatimid periods traded in goods from buildings preserved areas stretching from the Maghreb to China. And before this, a procession of at least 4 meters Byzantine, Roman, Nabataean, and even Biblical peoples inhabited this town. in height. An historic 1986 Trenches • For the last 50 years, in the midst of the development of the modern city, sequence from a litde attention has been paid to these ruins in the heart of the city and the land pre-Umayyad on which they stand ran the risk of being sold for development. In these foundation (early 7th circumstances the Oriental Institute began limited soundings in the spring of century) through the Fatimid until thinner curtain wall to accommodate 1986, followed by major excavations in the spring of 1987. These excavations destruction by the Crusaders (early buildings. have revealed a complex architectural and artifactual documentation of great 12th century) was identified. During One city gate flanked by two such importance for the history of Aqaba, Jordan, and the entire Middle East.1 T this occupation, and particularly the towers was excavated, revealing a The medieval city of Aqaba is on a slight rise above the beach near the center of Abbasid period, ceramics indicate complex history of rebuilding. The the modern town. The ruins are cut by a deep drainage ditch, called the wadi, participation in an extensive trade total preserved height of the wall was north of the Coast Guard station and extend between the Corniche road and network connecting Egypt and Syria at least 4.5 meters, at which depth the with Iraq and China. water table prevented reaching the The city of Ayla, medieval Aqaba, wall foundations and street pavement. 'The excavations were made possible with the assistance of many people, especially was rectangular in plan, 120 x 160 The gate was 3 meters wide with a Dr. Adnan Hadidi, Dr. Ghazi Bisheh, and Mr. Suleiman Tarajat, from the De meters, enclosed by a stone city wall round arch in its earliest form; this partment of Antiquities, Mr. Nasri Atalla of the Department of Tourism, and Dr. with towers, preserved 4.5 meters in was narrowed and, as the street levels Dureid Mahasneh of the Aqaba Region Authority. Special thanks are due to Dr. height. Work during the 1987 season rose, a secondary pointed arch was David Mc Cr eery for assistance and facilities at ACOR and to Mr. Rami Khoury, concentrated on this enclosure wall built into the filled in gateway. for initial encouragment and brilliant reportage. We are also indebted to the and several elements of the city's Eventually only a basalt drain pipe ran people of Aqaba, who took an active interest in the wonder of their past. The urban architecture. The faces of the through the small doorway. Within excavations were funded by grants from the National Geographic Society and the city wall consisted of granite and the fill in front of the gate were United States Agency for International Development as well as through contribu sandstone blocks with, in certain blocks with a monumental Kufic tions to the Oriental Institute. T The staff included Ghazi Bisheh, Suleiman portions, a good lime plaster. The inscription containing parts of the Tarajat, Khairieh Amir, Hanan Azar,from the Department of Antiquities, matrix of the wall was mud mixed Ayat al-Kursi, a Quranic quotation Robin Brown, Rosa Trey, Jessica Hallett, Janet Johnson, Allison McQuitty, Carol with quantities of small cobbles. used for protection of the city. Inside Meyer, Yvonne Seng, Guillermo Algaze, Tssam Elhadi, Circular towers were found along the 1 he UrtentaL James Knudstadt, and Robert Smithers. Mary Tassen length of the wall. Between the 1 nstltUte and Debbie Schwartz helped process materials from the towers, the city wall narrowed to a *• "o/-l yoo excavation which had been brought to Chicago for study. Annual Report 37

36 oi.uchicago.edu MEDIEVAL AQABA Preliminary Field Plan T • T • • 1988, 1987 Excavations 1987 city plan Aqaba

36 oi.uchicago.edu the gate was a wall parallel to the city the earliest form of this building may wall with a similar large arch. The have been a sort of pavilion in the space between these arches was later center of the city. While there is too narrowed and occupied by shops. little evidence for a palace, some Tower 2, immediately north of the association with a governor's gate, was excavated revealing an residence is not unlikely. Artifacts internal arch and, below that, brick discovered during the excavations partition walls. The tower was entered suggest that the structure was through an arched doorway in the originally built during the Umayyad city wall. period with reuse and rebuilding in One main street led across town the Abbasid period. from the excavated gate past the "Pavilion Building." This "Pavilion second possible merchant's Building" is preserved at least 3.5 residence similar to the meters in height, including at least "Pavilion Building" fronted on two rebuilds. The latest consists of a a nearby street with layered series of rooms around small courts; debris 4.5 meters deep. Late entrance stairs are on the northwest. reuseA, north of and intruding into the One of the south rooms has fresco original street, included structures decoration on one wall, consisting of built almost entirely of mud-brick, very fragmentary floral motifs and rather than stone, and featuring geometric designs in red and black numerous ovens in an irregular court. paint. Both the southwest and The second main city street, southeast exterior walls of the perpendicular to the first, ran from building were originally built with 3.5 meter wide arches, suggesting that

T • • The visit to the site ofAqaba of the United States Ambassador to Jordan, His Excellency Roscoe Siddarth.

38 oi.uchicago.edu • • • A Chinese stoneware jar with green glaze, the make-shift lid is the base of another jar of a type produced in Iraq in the 9th century. The excavator beams next to her discovery. the open area in front of the "Pavilion Building" to the northeast gate. East of this street were the long walls of the "large enclosure," characterized by substantial construction with grey mortar. A well-constructed platform and stairway associated with an elaborate drain may mark an entrance to this building, whose function has not yet been determined. The artifacts from each of these areas have revealed the remarkable character of this city. The earliest of Tulunid Egypt. These fine wares are ceramics are sherds of fine Nabataean associated with fragments of blue- painted bowls and Roman wares, green glazed storage jars, probably found out of context. The earliest in produced in Basra. Far Eastern situ materials are Late Roman types ceramics were found in association found in association with ones known with these Abbasid wares; e.g., a large from late Byzantine and Umayyad celadon jar was found with the broken contexts. While these latter types are base of a Basra storage jar used as a lid. known from Palestine, stylistic Dating of these celadons and porce characteristics point to a connection lains precisely matches that of the with Coptic Egypt. Islamic ceramics. 2 From the 9th century on, ceramics Ceramics of the Fatimid period include glazed wares, most commonly illustrate a strong dichotomy on this bowls and jars with a glossy mono site. On the one hand there are fine chrome glaze, yellow, brown or glazes, including lustre depictions. green. In some examples, the There are also increasing amounts of decoration, as well as the vessel forms, hand made, very crude cups, bowls are distinctively Samarran, character istic of the 9th century caliphal capital 2 north of Baghdad. Numerous pieces The Far Eastern ceramics are the subject of special studies by John of the finest Abbasid ceramic art, Carswell and Dr. Ho Chui-mei. bowls with lustre colors, have been found. While most of these come from Iraq, some may be the products

39 oi.uchicago.edu and basins (the nesting range of sizes man and early Byzantine sherds have and common characteristics led to been found on the site, mainly in the these being called "Tupperware" matrix of the walls, no distinctive during the excavation). Many of these levels or concentrations have been have painted decorations; some of the found. On the other hand, surface painted styles clearly anticipate the sherding to the northwest of the site, geometric painted wares which for a distance of about 500 meters, predominate during the Ayyubid and has produced just such ceramic Mamluk periods. material. Though no walls of a Chronological and inter-regional legionary camp are visible yet, one trade implications derived from study may suggest that ruins of the earlier of the ceramics are confirmed by town lie next to the Islamic town. other artifactual categories. For instance, glass sherds representing his has important implica each of the periods are present, tions for the foundation of the though the majority are glass bowls Islamic town. One of the and cups of the Abbasid period.3 characteristics of the amsdr, Numerous architectural elements of the camp towns founded carved stone, usually limestone, were Tduring the Muslim conquest, is that found. Also uncovered were parts of a they tended to be situated next to chancel screen and a capital made of older towns. Further, research into marble and typical of late Byzantine the history of Aqaba, combined with church elements, e.g., at Mt. Nebo. study of the earliest ceramics in deep Fragments of an imperial Roman stratigraphic probes, suggests that the dedicatory plaque were also discov foundation of this site probably ered. occurred during the caliphate of The issue of the pre-Islamic town 'Uthman, about 650 A.D. The remains problematic. Whatever the archaeological implications of this nature of the Nabataean and earlier hypothesis are that in Aqaba one has settlements, there must have existed a pre-Umayyad (and early Umayyad) large Roman camp, which accommo ceramics, architecture, and urban dated the Xth legion Fretensis in the planning. This is one of the first, clear 4th century. While Nabataean, Ro- archaeological examples of this transition, of the earliest stages in the development of Muslim civilization. 3 This summary is based on an The Abbasid and Fatimid periods at analysis of the glass prepared by Dr. Carol Meyer. Aqaba represent important additions to the history of Jordan, deriving from a unique opportunity to clarify the archaeology of these two ne glected periods. Aqaba was an active participant in the prosperity of Abbasid times, with connections to

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Egypt, Iraq, and the Far East. Parallels The site of medieval Aqaba is with Egypt are mainly with Fustat; unique in Jordan and, although half more dramatic are the connections of the city has been destroyed, it is with the Abbasid corpus from almost miraculous that so much of it Samarra. Thus, from the fine lustre remains to be studied. The preserved wares, the blue-green storage jars, and height of its towered city walls, its the celadon bowls found at Aqaba streets and houses, means that comes the first irrefutable proof of the complete excavation will reveal an participation of the "port of Pales Islamic city comparable to Jerash. In tine" in the extensive international some ways, medieval Aqaba is even commerce of the eastern Caliphate. more important than Jerash, since it Towards the end of occupation at this provides two opportunities: first, as a site, the architecture and ceramics clear contribution to understanding signal the growing turbulence of the the development of Islamic cultural 11th century and anticipate aspects of history, and second, as a focus for the archaeologically better known regional interaction and inter-regional Ayyubid and Mamluk periods in commerce in medieval times. In these Jordan. and other areas of interest, the site of Aqaba may hopefully enhance historical understanding and provide models for the archaeology of the Excavation of the 'Egyptian gate by more remote past. Guillermo Algaze; earlier arch is just visible and its jambs continue ^jf'j.- _«^_ down another 2 meters.