ABSTRACT
The area of Bilad al-Qadim surrounding the axis formed by the Al-Khamis and the Al-Hassan/Haroun mosques was surveyed in an attempt to gain an understanding of the overall extent of the former settlement ( Figure 2.1 ). The centre of this area, as noted, is formed by the Al-Khamis mosque, which is sometimes also referred to as the Suq Al-Khamis mosque, a reference to the market which used to be held in its vicinity on a Thursday. The meaning of Bilad al-Qadim is also a clue to the former importance of the area, it being “The Old Town” or alternatively, “The Old Country”. However, demarcating the physical extent of the Early and Middle Islamic capital is difficult today, though Belgrave (1973:148) describes it as lying between the Al-Khamis Mosque and the Khor Mukhtar inlet to the east, and a place once of “considerable size and importance” indicated by its various “walls and mounds”. However, Belgrave’s (1973:89) identification of its extent was made easier by the fact that Bilad al-Qadim was then “a sorry spectacle and with the exception of the south-west corner the town is deserted and in ruins”. The Al-Khamis mosque and the adjacent areas mentioned https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203823842/d24b7a53-a677-44d1-ad20-dc2c69ec8305/content/fig2_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
