Ramla: City of Muslim Palestine, 715-1917

Studies in History, Archaeology and Architecture

Edited by Andrew Petersen Edited by Denys Pringle

Book cover: Ramla: City of Muslim Palestine, 715-1917

Extent: 342 pages

Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing

Subjects: Architecture, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(July 2021)

ISBN: 9781789697766

8.07 x 11.42 inches

Price: $68.00

In stock

This book presents a comprehensive overview of the history, archaeology and architecture of the city of Ramla from the time of its foundation as the capital of Umayyad Palestine around 715 until the end of Ottoman rule in 1917.


Ramla presents a comprehensive overview of the history, archaeology and architecture of the city of Ramla from the time of its foundation as the capital of Umayyad Palestine around 715 until the end of Ottoman rule in 1917. It begins with a historical outline covering in turn the early Islamic (Robert Hoyland), Crusader (Peter Edbury), Ayyubid-Mamluk (Donald S. Richards) and Ottoman periods (Matthew Elliot). In the archaeological section, Gideon Avni’s synthesis of the results of excavations on the early Islamic city is followed by discussions of the Umayyad-period aqueduct (Amir Gorzalczany) and the historical interpretation of First World War aerial photographs (Benjamin Z. Kedar). Architectural studies include a complete corpus of the surviving Muslim buildings (Andrew Petersen), a reassessment of the remains of the White Mosque (Michael H. Burgoyne), an account of the Christian buildings (Denys Pringle), and an analysis of late Ottoman alterations to the Great Mosque (Katia Cytryn-Silverman). The final section on numismatics and epigraphy includes chapters on the coinage of Umayyad Ramla (Nikolaus Schindel), the Arabic inscriptions (Mehmet Tutuncu) and late medieval Christian pilgrims’ graffiti (Denys Pringle). The volume concludes with three appendices, including a hitherto unpublished report on the White Mosque (1919-20) by K.A.C. Creswell, a gazetteer of settlements in the Crusader lordships of Ramla, Lydda and Mirabel, and the endowment deed for a house dated 1713 (Maher Abu-Munshar).

List of Figures ; Notes on Contributors ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Early Islamic Ramla (715-1099) - Robert HoylandPeter EdburyD. S. RichardsMatthew ElliotGideon AvniAmir GorzalczanyBenjamin Z. KedarAndrew PetersenMichael H. BurgoyneDenys PringleKatia Cytryn-SilvermanNikolaus SchindelMehmet TutuncuDenys PringleDenys Pringlewaqfiyya) of Qa?r Waqf Abu?l-Huda, Ramla, July 1713 - Maher Abu Munshar Robert HoylandPeter EdburyD. S. RichardsMatthew ElliotGideon AvniAmir GorzalczanyBenjamin Z. KedarAndrew PetersenMichael H. BurgoyneDenys PringleKatia Cytryn-SilvermanNikolaus SchindelMehmet TütüncüDenys PringleDenys Pringlewaqfiyya) of Qaṣr Waqf Abūʾl-Huda, Ramla, July 1713 – Maher Abu Munshar

  • Edited by Andrew Petersen
  • Edited by Denys Pringle

‘Avni offers a dense synthesis of the rich archaeological evidence traced through numerous excavations — these varying in scope and extension — conducted in Ramla over the last 30 years. The picture emerges of an outstanding Islamic city of the 8th–11th centuries, provided with well planned orthogonal streets, with central mosque, and comprising large-scale public infrastructures; residential neighbourhoods with courtyard houses lavishly decorated with mosaics; industrial quarters, especially centred on dyeing; and gardens and complex systems of water supply and storage.’ – Matteo Gioele Randazzo (2022): Medieval Archaeology, 66/1, 2022