A Topographic Survey and Some Soundings at Nora, an Ancient Muslim

Title

A Topographic Survey and Some Soundings at Nora, an Ancient Muslim See all items with this value

Description

Introductory BackgroundThe GendebelolNora Program (French Center for Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa;Agence Nationale de la Recherche; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) isconducting a survey of medieval Muslim sites located in Yifat, north-eastern Shewa,Ethiopia (Fauvelle-Aymar et al. 2007). These sites are but little known from theliterature (Traversi 1893; Chernet Tilahun 1990; Kebedde Geleta 2000). TheGendebelolNora III mission, whose results are briefly presented here, was conductedon the site of Nora between the ith and the 19th of October 2007. The objective ofthis mission was to start the topographic mapping of the visible remains, to carry outtest pits in order to obtain information about the stratigraphic potential of the site forpossible future excavations, and to propose a tentative sequence of occupation.Nora (N 09°50'849'" E 40°03'026''') is a Muslim medieval town which, due to itssimilar architecture with other Muslim ruins found in the Tchertcher massif and basedon radiocarbon testing (1293-1399 cal. AD - LY-10197, and 1407-1444 cal. AD -LY-10196) obtained on the similar mosque of Faqi Dabbis in Yifat (Hirsch &Fauvelle-Aymar 2002: 330-331; Poissonnier 2005), can be considered to have beenbuilt between the 13th and the 16th centuries AD. This town occupies a rocky spur atan altitude of 1300 m above sea level (Fig. 1). The site is naturally well protected,being surrounded by abrupt cliffs on almost all sides. On the south-west, the sinuoustrack from the nearby Argobba village of Wosisso comes out, and on the north, aridge path leads to other ruins.

Identifier

211

315

Uploaded Date (Original EH)

2017-02-15

Uploaded By (Original EH)

adminss

Date

2006 See all items with this value

Author

Joint authors See all items with this value

Type

Articles