ABSTRACT
The "Islamic city" is a much discussed phenomenon; among the many aspects of this problem is the character of urbanization in the early Islamic period. The early Islamic cities, the innovations of the seventh and eighth centuries, had a powerful influence on subsequent urbanism in Islamic regions. Consideration of this subject has received a new impetus from recent archaeological research. The discovery and delineation of the plan of the early Islamic city of Ayla is the result of recent excavations. These excavations have revealed a walled city with towers and four gates, preserved 4. 5m in height. There is no direct evidence for the configuration of an Arab military camp in the early Islamic or immediately pre-Islamic periods. The apparent militaristic character of Ayla derives from the similarity in plan between these remains and Roman/Byzantine legionary camps. The so-called early Islamic "desert castles," found most often in isolated circumstances, are composed of many elements: baths, reception halls, lodgings.
