Post-Medieval Muslim Burials in Jaffa: Archaeological Evidence and Historical Perspective
Issue: Vol 4 No. 1 (2017)
Journal: Journal of Islamic Archaeology
Subject Areas:
DOI: 10.1558/jia.31174
Abstract:
The distribution and characteristics of Muslim burials in the ancient harbor town of Jaffa reflect major historical developments, from Mamluk-enforced abandonment to the gradual recovery under the Ottomans that laid the foundations of the present city. Yet many burial sites disappeared over the centuries and with them invaluable related data. The void was partially filled in the last two decades through dozens of salvage excavations in historical Ottoman compounds and under the teeming commercial streets and alleys of the modern city. Twenty-six Muslim funerary contexts were discovered and mapped, comprising several graveyards, individual tombs and a large public cemetery. This article gathers and summarizes all available information on these sites and places it within larger historical contexts, tracing patterns of decline, recovery and expansion through seven centuries and under two Muslim sultanates.
Author: Yoav Arbel
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