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Agnese Fusaro. The Islamic Port of al-Balīd (Oman), between Land and Sea: Place of Trade, Exchange, Diversity, and Coexistence

Iván Szántó
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Agnese Fusaro. The Islamic Port of al-Balīd (Oman), between Land and Sea: Place of Trade, Exchange, Diversity, and Coexistence”, Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World, 1 (2020), p. 67–95, 28 figs., doi:10.1163/26666286-12340003

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1The article provides an introduction to the results of a recent archaeological survey (2016-2018) of the coastal site of al-Balīd, historically known as Ẓafār (as reported, for instance, by Ibn Baṭṭūṭa), and located in the Dhofar Governorate of Southern Oman. Owing to its advantageous position in the monsoon zone of the Arabian Peninsula, Ẓafār developed into one of the main ports and economic hubs of the region. It had been under the control of several Islamic dynasties in the Mediaeval period, reaching its golden age during the Rasūlids of Yemen (1279–1420 CE). Portuguese intrusion into the area brought an abrupt end to this flowering, although the abundance of later Safavid and Chinese wares suggests a 17th-18th century reflorescence. Concentrated in the fort area (husn), the wealth of material (predominantly ceramics) that has been unearthed by the recent excavations provides evidence for the cultural diversity and transregional connections of al-Balīd, which were both the result of and a prerequisite for its prosperity. Among the diasporic communities identifiable through the finds, Fusaro highlights Indian merchants and Nestorian Christians. The excavators also established a sequence of ceramics linking imported Yemeni prototypes with their local imitations, thus strengthening previous assumptions about this region of Oman having been culturally inclined towards Yemen rather than mainland Oman. Despite this general orientation, plentiful pottery either from Northern Oman (Bahlā) or South-Western Iran (Khunj), has also been excavated at al-Balīd.

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Référence électronique

Iván Szántó, « Agnese Fusaro. The Islamic Port of al-Balīd (Oman), between Land and Sea: Place of Trade, Exchange, Diversity, and Coexistence” »Abstracta Iranica [En ligne], Volume 44 | 2022, document 3, mis en ligne le 30 novembre 2022, consulté le 01 octobre 2023. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/abstractairanica/55199 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/abstractairanica.55199

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Iván Szántó

Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest & Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienne

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