Islamic harbour in Kharaib al-Dasht Bay? Some remarks on the pottery collection from the Underwater Survey along the coast of Failaka Island
Islamic harbour in Kharaib al-Dasht Bay? Some remarks on the pottery collection from the Underwater Survey along the coast of Failaka Island

Author(s): Marta Mierzejewska
Subject(s): Archaeology, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: harbour; Arabian Gulf trade; Failaka Island; Torpedo Jar; amphorae
Summary/Abstract: An ongoing Kuwaiti–Polish archaeological investigation of thecoastal waters of Kharaib al-Dasht Bay, located in the northernpart of Failaka Island, has been focused on clusters of stone objectsassociated with fishing by the inhabitants of two Islamic coastalsettlements: Kharaib al-Dasht in the eastern part of the bay andAl-Quraniyah at its western end. Feature 12, identified provisionally asthe remains of a harbor, has yielded abundant ceramic material bothinside and around the structure. A study of the pottery revealed thatmost of the collection represented highly specialized storage/transportvessels. This observation, coupled with a large number of pottery sherdsreused as fishing-net weights, confirmed the tentative identification ofFeature 12 as a harbor. A comparative typo-chronological analysis ofthe ceramic material linked the intensive transport and trade activitiesin the coastal area of Feature 12 with the functioning of Al-Quraniyah.

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