Archaeology of the Middle East and North Africa from Late Antiquity to the Ottoman period. Second series: Iraq & Arabian Peninsula

Although the significance of Basra to early Islamic civilization is well known the physical remains of the site and its location are poorly understood despite extensive historical information and considerable archaeological fieldwork carried out at the site. There are many reasons for this situation including in recent times the conflicts surrounding the Iran-Iraq war, the 1990 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq all of which had a significant impact on Basra. Other reasons for the limited understanding of the site include the relatively small number of historical standing buildings and the complex topography of the site. Despite these problems there is now a considerable amount of data which can provide the basis for understanding the origin and development of this remarkable city. This talk will review the results of three seasons of fieldwork in Basra using archival research, aerial photogrammetry, surface survey and geo-archaeological investigations. The research provides a number of valuable insights into the development of the early Islamic city although it also highlights dangers to the city through rapid development over the site of the early Islamic city.

Prof. Andrew Petersen is Director of Research in Islamic Archaeology at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He studied medieval history and archaeology at St.Andrews followed by an MPhil in Islamic Architecture at Oxford. His PhD at Cardiff University concentrated on the development of urban centres in medieval and Ottoman Palestine. He has worked in and carried out research in a number of countries of the Middle East and Africa including, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Turkmenistan, the UAE, Oman, Syria, Qatar, Kenya and Tanzania. He has also worked in British archaeology with a speciality in recording standing buildings. He is a Member of the Institute for Archaeologists and a Fellow of the Royal historical Society. He has published a number of books on different aspects of the architecture and archaeology of the Islamic world including most recently an edited volume on Ramla in collaboration with Denys Pringle.