Izki is reputedly the oldest settlement in Oman. The only mention of Oman from the Early Iron Age II (EIA, 1100-600 BC) appears to be in the limestone stele erected by the Assyrian king Assurbanipal (669-627 BC) in the temple of Istar at Nineveh around 640 BC. The Istar
slab text of Assurbanipal boasts of one Pade, king of Qade, who resided in Izki and brought him tributes.
Harat al-Yemen settlement quarter was identified for fieldwork, which was carried out in collaboration with archaeologist Prof Paul Yule from the Seminar for the Languages and Cultures of the Near East (Semitic Studies), Heidelberg University. The relatively simple layout illustrates the
consecutive destruction and rebuilding of the harah during the mid18th century, reflected in its social history. Al-Yemen, inhabited by the Manadhirah and the Awlad Bahlani, was destroyed in the protracted civil war during the late 17th century. The Manadhirah successfully reconstructed the harah during the rule of Imam Ahmed b. Sa‘id Al Bu Sa‘idi (1753/4-1783). Soon after the reconstruction, however, the Manadhirah were dispossessed yet again; this time by the Daramikah (nisbah, ad-Darmaki), who had also lost their harah of ‘Adbi during the wars. Keeping this social history in mind the following selective documentation was accomplished: • the Friday Mosque (Masjid al-Jami‘) and its environs, including archaeological dig; • the north and the east gates and associated buildings and structures; • all male meeting halls (sbal / sablah); • a large dwelling cluster of the Darmaki tribe close to the north gate; • a comprehensive tribal mapping. A 9 x 1.5 x 1.5m deep test trench in the abandoned Friday mosque was undertaken, given its importance within the settlement. Different possibilities presented themselves: the palace of king Pade of Qade/Izki, a pre-Islamic sanctuary or a previous mosque. The periods for which nothing is known archaeologically deserves attention, which include the First Imamate period in Oman. The mosque is built on an artificially raised platform which makes it higher than the rest of al-Yemen. At 1.5m depth the team uncovered the remains of painted walls with the same qiblah orientation as the mosque. These probably belong to a previous mosque, the date of which is as yet unknown.
Izki
HARAT AL-YEMEN