The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has announced the discovery of the remains of a mosque believed to be over 1,200 years old, found during the construction of a new neighborhood in the Bedouin city of Rahat, Israel.
According to the IAA, the mosque, located in the Negev Desert, features a square room and a wall oriented towards Mecca, with a semi-circular niche in that wall facing south.
Ancient mosque over 1,200 years old found in the Bedouin city of Rahat (Israel). (Photo: AFP)
Israeli officials added: “These unique architectural features indicate that the building was used as a mosque.” The IAA also noted that the mosque could accommodate dozens of worshippers at the same time.
Not far from the mosque, archaeologists have also discovered a “luxurious building.” This building contained remnants of tableware and intricate glass artifacts, suggesting that the area was once wealthy.
It is known that three years ago, authorities excavated another mosque near this area. This mosque was identified as dating from the same period as the recently discovered ancient mosque, specifically from the 7th to 8th centuries CE. Archaeologists consider these two mosques to be “among the earliest known mosques in the world.”
The IAA stated that the mosques, estates, and other houses found nearby clarify the “historical processes occurring in northern Negev with the emergence of a new religion – Islam, and a new culture and governance in the region.”
The agency shared: “These places gradually established themselves, inheriting the previous Byzantine administration and the Christian religion that had existed in this land for hundreds of years.”
The IAA further stated that the mosques discovered in Rahat will be preserved in their current locations both as historical monuments and places of worship.
