Islamic Inscriptions in Ferghana and Zhetysu: Arabic-written monuments of the 11th–17th centuries from Kyrgyzstan (Russian), by Vladimir Nastich.

Islamic Inscriptions in Ferghana and Zhetysu: Arabic-written monuments of the 11th–17th centuries from Kyrgyzstan (Russian), by Vladimir Nastich. Publishing House of Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Saint Petersburg, 2019. 434pp. ISBN-13: 9785806426100.

Mercaderes, artesanos y ulemas. Las ciudades de las Coras de Ilbira y Pechina en época Omeya, by Eneko López Martínez de Marigorta.

Mercaderes, artesanos y ulemas. Las ciudades de las Coras de Ilbira y Pechina en época Omeya, by Eneko López Martínez de Marigorta. Colección Arqueologías, Serie Medieval, 2020. 432pp., 23 maps, 32/39 figures. Pb. €50.00; eBook €17.00. ISBN-13: 9788491593560.

Urban Bathhouse in the Islamic Far East

While the bathhouses of Rome and Byzantium have received a great deal of academic attention in the West, the baths of the Islamic world, particularly those in the far Islamic East in Central Asia, have been largely overlooked and much scholarly research in this region has only been published in Russian. This paper is an attempt to readdress this regional bias by presenting an overview of medieval bathhouses in Kazakhstan, based largely on the results of a recent upsurge in commercial archaeological excavations in the country. Ten bathhouses are described, and the significant features of Kazakh baths are highlighted.

Environment in the Islamic City of Termez (Uzbekistan)

The aim of this paper is to understand the ways of life for the inhabitants of Termez (Uzbekistan) and its surrounding environment through the analysis of the zooarchaeological, charcoal, and ceramic material found inside a domestic combustion structure (tannur) dated to the early Islamic period (8th and 9th centuries AD). The tannur was located in a manufacturing area outside the city walls of old Termez, discovered during the 2018–2019 archaeological campaigns of the Uzbek-Spanish team IPAEB. The analysis of the charcoal hints at an abundance of local floral taxa that was used as firewood. The faunal remains indicate the presence of birds, mammals and fish at the site. The zooarchaeological study reveals the exploitation of the fluvial resources through the presence of fish of the Cyprinidae family in the vicinity of the Amu Darya. The scarcity of cut marks on and thermoalteration of the mammalian remains inside the tannur lead us to believe that the presence of the bones inside the container is related to their disposal rather than the use of the oven for cooking. Finally, the ceramic items collected in the tannur belong to the same wares and types identified in the assemblages collected from a workshop area at the site and are typical of the early Islamic period.

Dwelling Models of Umayyad Mada'in and Qusur in Greater Syria, by Giuseppe Labisi.

Dwelling Models of Umayyad Mada'in and Qusur in Greater Syria, by Giuseppe Labisi. BAR Publishing, 2020. 352pp., with 7 tables and 69 figures, Sc. £74.00. ISBN-13: 9781407357225.

Broken Cities: A Historical Sociology of Ruins, by Martin Devecka.

Broken Cities: A Historical Sociology of Ruins, by Martin Devecka. John Hopkins University Press, 2020. 184pp., $34.95. ISBN-13: 9781421438429.

Uncovering the Islamic Governmental Citadel of Shahdezh in Isfahan, Iran

The magnificent architectural complex known as Shahdezh Citadel is a defensive compound with an area of over 15 ha, sitting atop Soffeh Mountain, close to the city of Isfahan, Iran. It is a unique historical complex due to its majesty, impregnability, and strategic significance, however, studies on the Citadel are limited to a few historical documents and reports on its visible relics. It is for this reason that the present authors began archaeological investigations at this site in the summer of 2004. The main aim of the research was to determine the distribution and function of the architectural remains, as well as the construction and usage periods of the huge complex. To this end, topographic maps were prepared, followed by systematic surface survey and excavation of parts of the castle that were deemed most important. The findings of this research strongly suggest that the Shahdezh Castle was originally constructed in the Sassanid era (224–651 AD) and was later restored and reused by Saljuq rulers (1037–1194 AD) in the Islamic period. Its existence as a governmental citadel located near the Saljuq capital of Isfahan strengthens the authors’ proposition that Saljuq kings settled the royal family at the Shahdezh Citadel and ruled over the country from there.

Early Islamic North Africa. A New Perspective, by Corisande Fenwick.

Early Islamic North Africa. A New Perspective, by Corisande Fenwick. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020. 202pp., $90. ISBN-13: 9781350075184.

Pre-oil Globalization in a Rural Community

This article aims to study whether the increase of agricultural settlements in the Sultanate of Oman during the Late Islamic period (c. 1500-1950) was related to pre-oil globalization, as attested in the wider Gulf region. This is done by analysing the archaeological dataset of the agricultural village of Sahlat, with a focus on the ceramic material, located in the Suhar region. The assemblages collected by the Wadi al-Jizzi Archaeological Project, point to its occupation from c. 1750 to 1930. During this time period, the coastal towns of southeastern Arabia were heavily influenced by globalization processes, but the effects and reach of trade on rural communities remains poorly known. In this paper, Sahlat is compared to two contemporary sites connected to the same falaj system, and two other sites in the Gulf region. The results indicate that pre-oil globalization did not only impact coastal towns, but that rural settlements such as Sahlat experienced similar transformations. It is suggested that pre-oil globalization was not only linked to the pearling trade, but that the export of dates should also be taken into consideration when studying this topic.

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective, by Daniella Talmon-Heller.

Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: A Historical Perspective, by Daniella Talmon-Heller. Edinburgh Studies in Classical Islamic History and Culture, Edinburgh University Press, 2020. 279pp., 28 illustrations, 1 additional map, index. Hb. £80. ISBN-13: 9781474460965.