イスラム教初期のモスク発見　地域宗教の移行に光　イスラエル

【ラハトＡＦＰ＝時事】イスラエル南部ネゲブ砂漠で今週、７世紀ごろのモスクの遺跡が見つかった。同国の考古学者チームが発表した。周辺地域におけるキリスト教からイスラム教への移行に光を当てる発見だとされる。（写真はイスラエル・ネゲブ砂漠のラハトで見つかった７世紀ごろのモスクの遺跡）
　イスラエル考古学庁（ＩＡＡ）は、ネゲブ砂漠北部にある遊牧民ベドウィンの街ラハトで宅地開発の際に見つかった遺跡について、１２００年以上前のものであるとの見解を示した。
　遺跡には、四角い部屋と聖地メッカの方角を向く壁があり、壁には南を示す半円のくぼみがあった。
　また、モスクからほど近い場所で「豪華な建物」の跡も見つかった。ＩＡＡは、出土した食器やガラス工芸品から裕福な住人だったと考えられるとしている。
　この地域では、３年前にも同時期のモスクの遺跡が発見されている。これらの遺跡についてＩＡＡは「ネゲブ砂漠北部に新しい宗教と支配者、そして文化が流入した当時の歴史的なプロセスに光を当てるものだ」と説明した。
　地域におけるイスラム帝国の拡大は、７世紀前半に起きた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/06/27-14:45）

Israeli archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled a rare ancient mosque in the country's south that the antiquities officials said sheds light on the region's transition from Christianity to Islam.
The remains of the mosque, believed to be more than 1,200 years old, were discovered during works to build a new neighbourhood in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.
The mosque located in the Negev desert contains a square room and a wall facing the direction of Mecca, with a half-circle niche in that wall pointing to the south, the IAA said.
These unique architectural features show that the building was used as a mosque, the authority said, noting it probably hosted a few dozen worshippers at a time.
A short distance from the mosque, a luxurious estate building was also discovered, with remains of tableware and glass artefacts pointing to the wealth of its residents, the IAA said.
Three years ago, the authority unearthed another mosque nearby from the same era of the seventh to eighth century AD, calling the two Islamic places of worship among the earliest known worldwide.
The mosques, estate and other homes found nearby illuminate the historical process that took place in the northern Negev with the introduction of a new religion ?- the religion of Islam, and a new rulership and culture in the region, the IAA said.
These were gradually established, inheriting the earlier Byzantine government and Christian religion that held sway over the land for hundreds of years.
The Muslim conquest of the region occurred in the first half of the seventh century.
The IAA said the mosques found in Rahat would be preserved in their current locations, whether as historic monuments or as active places of prayer.