Journal Article

Multi-disciplinary approaches to the Islamic period in Egypt and the Red Sea Coast

Kawatoko, Mutsuo

2005

Overview

We are privileged to offer a summary of the massive campaign of excavation and survey conducted by the author and his team from Japan in northern Egypt and the neighbouring coast of Sinai. Over the last few years they have excavated a large sector of al-Fustat (the early Islamic settlement on the outskirts of modern Cairo), mapped the early Christian monastery at Wadi al-Tur (sixth–twelfth century AD), recorded early Islamic rock inscriptions on Mt Naqus eighth–twentieth century AD), mapped the port and mosque at Raya (originating in the sixth–twelfth or thirteenth century AD) and investigated on a large scale the fourteenth–twentieth-century sequence at al-Kilani (al-Tur). Among the objects unearthed at al-Kilani were 4000 fragments of manuscripts. The work is throwing new light on early Islam, its development of social and commercial networks, and its relation with Christian, Coptic and Byzantine cultures.

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Subject: 12th century / 13th century / 20th century / al-Fustat / al-Tur / Archaeology / Chemicals / Christianity / Christians / Cities and towns, Medieval / conversion / Cultural anthropology / Cultural change / Cultural contact / Cultural interaction / Culture / early Christian / early Islamic / Egypt / Egyptian Coptic / Excavation / Fluorescence / Focus on Islam IV / Fragments / History / Identification and classification / Inscriptions / Interdisciplinary research / Islam / Islamic antiquities / Islamic civilization / medieval / Medieval cities and towns / monastery / mosque / Mosques / Physical anthropology / port / Raya / Religious history / rock inscriptions / Sinai / Social development / Social networks / Society / Stained glass / Study and teaching / trade / Urban archaeology