Three years after discovering one of the oldest mosques in the world in southern Israel, a team of archaeologists discovered another mosque in the same city. This finding makes it the second earliest mosque to date back to the 7th century, when Islam was just beginning to spread in the region.
The two mosques were discovered during excavations in the Bedouin city of Rahat in the northern Negev, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced in June. The excavations were directed by Oren Shmueli, Dr. Elena Kogan-Zehavi, and Dr. Noe David Michael on behalf of the IAA.
Both mosques are around 1,200 years old, although exact dating is challenging under the circumstances. The mosque is a few hundred meters from the ruins of a magnificent house that appears to belong to wealthy Byzantine Christians.
"What is unique about this mosque is the proliferation of 7th-century ceramics at the site, making it one of the earliest mosques in the world," said archaeologist Elena Kogan-Zehavi, quoted from Haaretz.
Although the Arab conquest of Mecca took place in 636, Islam did not become the majority religion until the 9th century. This pair of small rural mosques was key in painting a picture of the spread of Islam in the late Byzantine era, the beginning of early Islam in the Holy Land, said Kogan-Zehavi.
The two halls are identified as mosques because of their structural elements, namely the square space and walls facing the Qibla in Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
In addition, in the newly discovered mosque, a semicircular alcove or mihrab was found along the center of the wall that leads to the south.
Kogan-Zehavi said, this mosque has many ceramics typographically dating from the 7th to 8th centuries. He added that researchers are beginning to piece together a "very interesting picture" of the transition from settlements dominated by Byzantine Christianity, including monasteries and various structures, to settlements of semi-nomadic people with distinct and less permanent building traditions.
"This finding shows that Islam came very early in the northern Negev and began to coexist with Christian settlements," said Kogan-Zehavi.
In addition to the mosque, archaeologists also uncovered a Byzantine-era farmhouse which they said appeared to have housed Christian farmers, including a fortified minaret and rooms with strong walls surrounding the courtyard.
Its construction raises many questions, among others, did the same Christian community become Muslim? Or were the settlements repopulated by semi-nomadic traders who might have brought the new religion from the Arabian Peninsula?
"Probably a mixture of the two. All the questions look open there on the site. Now it's our job to try to gather information to understand what happened," said Koga-Zehavi.
Furthermore, he said, there are chronological gaps in all sites in the region dating back to the 9th century. "There is no further resolution and there must be a disaster that we have not identified," he said.
Another interesting puzzle in the case of the two mosques in Rahat is that the mosque was built some distance from some settlements. This has led researchers to question the role of prayer rooms in everyday life.
"We don't know the connection between the congregation and the mosque yet. Maybe it's only used on Fridays?," said Kogan-Zehavi in amazement.
This idea of a population in transition is, in many ways, the same trend seen in Rahat today. To note, Rahat is the largest permanent Bedouin settlement in the world.
According to Kogan-Zehavi, the residents of Rahat are eager to preserve the two mosques, while the IAA continues to dig in front of the neighborhood.
"History is always repeating itself. The Rahat Bedouin left the nomadic life, settled in the cities, and tried to create a bit of a different life in permanent settlements," he concluded.