ABSTRACT
Migrants of various ethnic, religious and social origins made their way to Palestine, or crossed it while heading to other locations, or relocated their place of permanent residence, virtually in any given period between the mid-seventh century and the turn of the twelfth, as well as later on. The basic motivations and circumstances behind people’s migration to and within Palestine during early Islamic times were not different from those that characterised earlier and later migrations – including during the preceding Byzantine period – though they were naturally dictated and influenced by events and processes unique to this period. This chapter describes the main relevant historical data, with two archaeological case studies dealt with in more detail – including some yet unpublished materials – that can be reasonably interpreted as paradigmatic for the understanding of migration into and inside the country in the course of the Early Islamic centuries.
