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Abstract

Khirbat Zakariya is an ancient rural settlement in the Modi‘in hills of northern Judea. This paper presents the preliminary results of two excavations conducted by the authors at Khirbat Zakariya, which existed in the continuum of the Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. Christian remains from the Byzantine period were discovered on the margins of the site, including a small complex on its southwestern extremity, which seems to have functioned as a rural monastery. The complex was enclosed within ashlar walls and comprised designated areas for well-defined functions, such as a chapel in the north and an olive press in the west; other rooms may have been used as the monks’ quarters and a dining room. The site was founded in the late Byzantine period, the sixth century CE, and operated with changes throughout the Umayyad period, until the eighth century CE. On the southern flank of Khirbat Zakariya, a well-planned settlement from the Early Islamic period was uncovered in a large-scale salvage excavation. The architecture included large, interconnected buildings, some with mosaic floors and arches; three olive presses; storerooms; alleys; and many cisterns. Most of the architecture dated to the Abbasid period (ninth century CE). The buildings were constructed in several phases, and changes were made to them throughout the ninth and tenth centuries CE, into the Fatimid period. It seems that many of the buildings collapsed in the eleventh century CE, possibly following the earthquakes of 1033 and 1068 CE. The settlement was rebuilt above the massive collapse layer and continued to function throughout the Fatimid period. Some buildings continued to function in the Crusader and Ayyubid periods. In the Mamluk and early Ottoman periods, farmhouses and a cemetery were established above the ruins of the earlier settlement.

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