Kush: a Sasanian and Islamic-Period Archaeological Tell in Ras Al-Khaimah

Arab. arch. eprg 1997: 8: 284-302 Copyright 0 Munksgaard 1997 Printed in Denmark. All rights resented Arabian archaeology and epigraphy ISSN 0905-7196 Kush: a Sasanian and Islamic-period archaeologcal tell in Ras al-Khaimah (U.A.E.) DEREK KENNET Wolfson College, Oxford, U.K. & National Museum of Ras al-Khaimah, U.A.E. With contributions by Mark Beech (University of York, U.K.), Adrian Parker (School of Geography, University of Oxford, U.K.) and Alan Pipe (Museum of London Archaeological Service, U.K. Introduction ments. Close by to the east rise the moun- In the report on her 1977 survey de Cardi tains of the Musandam Peninsula, the prox- described an 'extensive area of high imity of which give the plain a high water- mounding' covered with late Islamic pot- table. The site now lies about two and a half tery in the Shimal area of Ras al-Khaimah kilometres southeast of the modern coast (1). Further investigation of this site, in- but was originally close to the edge of a la- cluding surface pottery collection and a goon which has now silted up to become a small test sounding, has shown it to be a sebkha flat. The location once gave access to large archaeological tell with an occupation both agricultural and marine resources as sequence dating from the Sasanian period well as trade routes, a combination which is to the thirteenth century AD. A full exca- unique on the western coast of the Oman vation programme has been organised to Peninsula and which has made the Shimal investigate the cultural and economic de- area a focal point of settlement since at least velopment of the site and to provide a cer- the third millennium BC. amic and environmental sequence for the The site consists of a tell measuring 120 m area. north-south by 100 m east-west (Figs 1 & 3). This is small by comparison with other areas of the Near East such as Iraq, Iran The Site and the Levant where mud-brick architec- Kush (Kash)(25" 49' 22", 56"00' 25.7") is situ- ture is the norm but, in the Oman Penin- ated just inside the Gulf, approximately sev- sula where date-palm-frond building is the enty kilometres south of the Straits of preferred type of architecture, tells do not Hormuz. To the east, west and south the site form quickly and are quite rare. Therefore is surrounded by the fertiIe and relatively the very existence of Kush, which stands well-watered Shimal plain, an alluvial de- out as the largest archaeological tell in the posit densely planted with date-palm U.A.E., presents something of an enigma. groves and covered with small rural settle- It is not a simple tell but appears to be an 284 KUSH: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TELL IN RAS AL-KHAIMAH Fig. 1. Kush from the west. irregularly-shaped conglomeration of three over a four-day period (Fig. 3). Although or four separate mounds, suggesting a only a limited sounding, the excavation re- complicated development. The central part vealed a useful sequence. The phases un- of the site stands 6.5 m above the level of covered are briefly described below in re- the surrounding plain and there appear to lation to the section drawing (Fig. 4). be at least a further 1.5 m of archaeological stratigraphy below ground level. A This phase consists of the top few centi- The site has been slightly damaged to the metres of silt and sand; somewhat dis- east and south where a cemetery wall has turbed but nevertheless rich in pottery been constructed. Otherwise, apart from and flecks of charcoal. There is some the effects of erosion, it is in good condition evidence of palm-frond matting within and does not seem to have been greatly the uppermost 5 cm. These layers are disturbed. quite similar in origin to those of phase 'B' but are more disturbed. B This phase is composed of a series of The Excavations horizontally-bedded, thin, loose, silty Trench B and sandy layers, rich in pottery, bone In the spring of 1994 a two-metre wide test- and flecks of charcoal. The layers are trench was dug into the side of the mound very suggestive of occupation debris. 285 Fig. 2. Location map. Occasional postholes suggest that the D The layers of this phase are slightly occupation consisted of palm-frond more clayey and more compact than the huts (‘artsh). layers of the overlying phases. This is C The layers which make up this phase probably due to the fact that they result, are probably similar in origin to those at least in part, from material eroded of phases ‘A’ and ’B’ but are thicker and from mud-brick buildings. Towards the more complicated. Together with the outer edge of the tell there are some more or less horizontally-bedded layers lumps of mud brick suggesting the re- of loose silt and sand, are fairly thick mains of walls. There is also evidence layers of charcoal and ash interrupted of some shallow pitting. The maximum by shallow cuts and hearths all sugges- thickness of the deposits of this phase tive of occupation debris which ac- is around 1 m, suggesting that it ac- cumulated around ‘arish structures. Al- cumulated over a considerable period though the top three phases appear to of time. Most of the phase is horizon- be quite similar in make-up and origin, tally-bedded. Phase D probably repre- they are separated one from the other sents the last phase of mud-brick archi- by clear breaks in deposition. tecture on the site. 286 KUSH: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TELL IN RAS AL-KHAIMAH such an abundant component in the lower levels of phase ’F’ must result from the weathering of this structure. H This phase consists of a circular feature constructed of dressed limestone with a small hole in the western side. It was cut during the construction of the phase ’G’ structure. I This phase is represented by a small section of gently-sloping layers consisting of compact silt and mud-brick tumble which are truncated to the west. Too little is exposed to allow an interpretation: the layers appear to run underneath phase ’G’. J A series of steeply-sloping, silty deposits covering a thick deposit with a Fig. 3 high humic content and green silty A-contour plan of Kush showing the location of trenches A and B (contours at 1 m intervals). matrix which appears to have been a cesspit or rubbish deposit. From this layer came a large collection of Sas- anian to early Islamic period pottery. E Phase ’E’ is a vertically-sided pit which Phase ‘J’ formed behind the mud-brick was cut into the layers of phase ’D’. The wall of phase ’K’. lowest levels encountered were char- K This phase consists of a mud-brick wall coal-rich. behind which Phase ’J’ appears to have F Phase ‘F’ is made up of layers which are formed. It seems that ’K represents a more gravelly than those of the over- phase of mud-brick architecture which lying layers. The uppermost layers are had gone out of use by the time that ’J’ horizontally-bedded whilst those lower was deposited. down slope quite steeply and appear to L Phase ’L‘ consists of a series of steeply- bank up against the sides of the struc- sloping, compact silty layers which ture of phase ‘G’. formed up against the mud-brick wall G Phase ‘G’ consists of a small section of of phase ’K. a much larger structure. The part which M This phase describes a small sounding has been exposed consists of a length of below phase ’L‘ consisting of a fine silt irregular but substantial walling made deposit with very little pottery under- of rounded limestone pebbles (up to 3 lying the wall of phase ’K. cm) held together by a very compact silt N Phase ’N’ is made up of a thick, loose, and fine sand matrix which is as hard silt with gravel. Interpretation of this as mortar. The two metres of wall deposit causes some problems: it may which are exposed in the sounding ap- have resulted from the erosion of mud- pear to be curved and could be part of brick buildings close by. a round structure such as a tower. The 0 This phase consists of a section of mud- exact composition of the matrix is still brick or pis6 wall standing only two- to be determined. The gravel which is course high buried in phase ’N’. 287 D. KENNET Fig. 4. The northern section of trench B showing the various phases defined. P Phase ’I” is a similar deposit to phase The final phases (’A’ to ‘C‘) appear to lack ’N’ but below wall ‘0’. any evidence of substantial architecture. Q Phase ’Q consists of a small stub of These phases can be dated to the twelfth mud-brick or pis6 wall below phase ’I”. and thirteenth centuries and certainly ap- This is the earliest evidence of architec- pear to represent the final decline of the ture yet uncovered at the site but there is settlement before its complete abandon- unfortunately no associated dating evi- ment by the fourteenth century. In phase dence. ‘D‘ there are strong indications that mud- 288 KUSH: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TELL IN RAS AL-KHAIMAH brick buildings were still in use on the site plete sequence through the mound. The although they do not appear in the trench. trench measures 10 m wide and will extend In phase ’G’ there is evidence of a large and in length from 10 m to about 25 m as exca- substantial structure which might be mili- vation continues.

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