A Composite Monastic Community? New Hypotheses on al‑Quṣayr Settlement (Province of Karbalā, Iraq)
The site of al‑Quṣayr, in southern Iraq, is known for its monumental church built at the turn of Islam. Mentioned by orientalists, surveyed in 1973 and then excavated in 1978 and in 2009, it was interpreted as a monastery with a church surrounded by a village with another church. A preliminary archi...
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| Publicat a: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/beo, |
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| Autors principals: | , |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicat: |
Bulletin d’études orientales
2023
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| Matèries: | |
| Accés en línia: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Sumari: | The site of al‑Quṣayr, in southern Iraq, is known for its monumental church built at the turn of Islam. Mentioned by orientalists, surveyed in 1973 and then excavated in 1978 and in 2009, it was interpreted as a monastery with a church surrounded by a village with another church. A preliminary architectural survey and a study of previous publications suggested that it was a mixed monastery with monks living outside the coenobium, which enclosed the monumental church and conventual buildings. It is surrounded by at least 160 hermitage-like buildings, probably consisting of a three-room structure and a courtyard. The monastic church was originally built of stone with a particularly long and narrow original (monophysite?) plan with multiple doors. It was enlarged in the second phase with the addition of one transverse and two longitudinal aisles, as well as annexes, all built of mud-bricks. In the third phase, the southern aisle was transformed into a conventual area, perhaps a library and a scriptorium. The building identified as another church could be a funerary chapel. It is located outside of the coenobium and surrounded by a graveyard. |
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