Mosque Name: Be’er Karkom - Two Open-Air Mosques
Country: Negev
City: Rural, Negev Highlands
Year of construction (AD): 700-799
Be’er Karkom1 GPS: 30.289766 34.766608
Gibson Classification: Between
Beer Karkom 2 GPS 30.28913 34.767415
Gibson Classification: Unknown
Rebuilt facing Mecca: never
Description:
Two open-type mosques were discovered at a large nomadic site in a wide valley, 500 m east of Be’er Karkom (figure 2).3 On a hilltop northeast of the settlement is an arc-shaped building line of large stones, aligned east-west, with a rounded southward-facing mihrab niche in its center (width 0.8 m, depth 1 m). In the middle of the site, near the edge of the wadi, is a rectangle measuring 3.4 x 5.2 m constructed of medium-sized, roughly hewn field stones (figure 3). There is a mihrab niche at a midpoint on the southern side (depth 1 m, width 0.9 m), with a large upright stone (width 0.5 m, height 0.45 m) in its interior wall.
The discovery of two open-type mosques in this settlement can be explained by its size, it being one of the largest sites dating back to the sixth-eighth centuries C.E. in the southern Negev Highlands, and by its proximity to Be’er Karkom, one of the few water sources in the region. We found 58 circular and oval dwellings measuring 3 x 4 to 7 x 8 m, all built from local, roughly hewn field-stones and preserved to a height of 2 to 4 courses (figure 4). Most of the structures still have their entrances intact, facing southeast.
For a Link to the Qibla Tool Click Here
Six mosques, Negev Highlands
Chart showing mihrab directions in the Negev
The Negev Open Air Qiblas all face west of Petra, and all the other Qiblas directions.
Information taken from:
Early Mosques in the Negev Highlands: New Archaeological Evidence on Islamic Penetration of Southern Palestine Author: Gideon Avni Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 294 (May, 1994), pp. 83-100
Page Discussion
Membership is required to comment. Membership is free of charge and available to everyone over the age of 16. Just click SignUp, or make a comment below. You will need a user name and a password. The system will automatically send a code to your email address. It should arrive in a few minutes. Enter the code, and you are finished.
Members who post adverts or use inappropriate language or make disrespectful comments will have their membership removed and be barred from the site. By becoming a member you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy, Cookies & Ad Policies. Remember that we will never, under any circumstances, sell or give your email address or private information to anyone unless required by law. Please keep your comments on topic. Thanks!