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ДĀRAT AL-ΚAQR (Bāhla): DOCUMENTATION AND HERITAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN Дārat al-ΚAqr and al-Ghuzeili
At some point expansion of Дārat al-ΚAqr began northwards. By then, as this expansion suggests, the need for having a fortified settlement was no longer a priority; thus the settlement edge - especially on the west, facing the Mosque and the Fort - is characterised by a high degree of porosity. This phase, yet again, locates itself on the edge of the outcrop, conserving valuable low-lying arable land. Possibly following the same peripheral route structure cut across by earlier access routes to gateways (this settlement structure now somewhat eroded by later ad hoc developments and outward expansions; it may well be that the settlement strip, extending south up to the Sabah al-ΚAqr and north is a later addition), the northward extension occurred from the eastern end of the square U2 with the street arcing out towards the edge. Another lozenge-shaped zone of development was added to this subsequently, extending the peripheral street Figure 4.4 al-ΚAqr, Sabah al-Nargila, gate A1
and expanding the settlement along the eastern edge of the fort. This latter formation is bisected by an extension of the route on the southern side of the fort creating considerable confusion regarding the extent of the northern extension of Дārat al-ΚAqr and the beginning of Дārat al-Ghuzeili. It was unclear to us whether the southern tip of the elongated formation or the bisecting route marked this transition. The two main tribes residing in al-ΚAqr, the al-ΚAbri and al-Qassabi (the caretaker/ person responsible, mosul, for al-ΚAqr was Sa’id b. ‘Ali b. Humaid al-Kassabi), are also present in al-Ghuzeili, further stressing this blurring of boundaries. What is clear from the structural morphology of the settlement, however, is that Дārat al-Ghuzeili developed initially formeing part of the northern extension to Дārat al-ΚAqr. A further thin, arched settlement strip extending as far as the northern tower of the fort, possibly encroaching on the garden once again, completes the extent of Дārat alGhuzeili, where the traditional mosque and sablah structures have been replaced by modern structures. Дārat al-Hawuiyah and Bostan Dar
Figure 4.5 al-ΚAqr, Sablah F7
Figure 4.6 al-ΚAqr, interior of dwelling E1
The extent of Дārat al-Hawuiyah is also marked by a sablah, which completes a square on the southern edge of the Great Mosque, at the junction of the two earliest phases of Дārat al-ΚAqr. According to local knowledge, the sablah, which now lies disused, is about 150 years old and was once destroyed in a fire. Part of this square is raised to form a terrace in level with the sablah, accessed through a flight of steps; a small coffee preparation room of recent blockwork construction marking the edge of the terrace also lies disused. The older sablah itself is a formidable structure, about 17m long and 5m wide, with a single door from the terrace and 5 windows on its southern and 2 on its eastern façade; its partially collapsed roof is in concrete poured over a timber and ply ceiling, replacing, as is so