Qal’at Musa; Jurat Musa - Monastery

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Qal’at Musa; Jurat Musa

Monastery name:

Monastery

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Desert

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

22,985.00

63,795.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

17,985.00

13,795.00

Geographical region:

Judean Desert

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Jerusalem

Topographical location:

Hilltop with steep slopes at the juction of Wadi Fara and Wadi en-Nimr.

Soils:

Rocky limestone

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 12 km (Jerusalem)

Distance from nearest settlement:

1 km from the monastery of Pharan.

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 5 km north of the road connecting Jerusalem with Jericho.

Source of knowledge

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Dinur and Feig	1981
Patrich	1984
Hirschfeld	1987
Kloner	1980's
Magen and Finkelstein	1993

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Dinur and Feig	1981

Bibliograpy:

Patrich, J., 1984	61-62
Dinur, U., 1986	86-88
Dinur, U. and Feig, N., 1986	17-18
Patrich, J., 1987/88	66-70
Magen, Y. and Finkelstein, I., 1993	411-13
Goldfus, H., 1997	188-90
Kloner, A., 2001	no. 622
Magen, Y. and Kagan, E. D., 2012	294-95

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Discussion:

The site was identified as a monastery by the excavators. This was based on the structures found at the site, one of which was a church. Hirschfeld suggested that this had been a part of the laura of Pharan with a funerary chapel near the laura's cemetery (Hirschfled 1990: 6, no. 1).

State of certainty:

Uncertain / Questionable

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

A survey and trial excavation took place in 1981. Walls and other remains of four structures could be traced. Additional structures, cisterns and agricultural terraces were noted in the vicinity. Several concentrations of tombs were also observed.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Qalat Musa- section of a mosaic (Magen and Kagan 2012 I: 294-295, Fig. 153.1).

Qalat Musa- cross carved on a tomb (Magen and Kagan 2012 I: 294-295, Fig 153.2).

Figures

Qal'at Musa- plan of structure 1 (Dinur and Feig 1986: 17)

General description

Paths:

Massive retaining walls are built along 200 m, on both sides of Wadi Nimr, to hold up paths. The walls contain stones in secondary use.

Courtyards:

Structure I (35 x 30 m) in the northeastern part of the site has an inner courtyard. The structure's function is unknown.

Churche/s:

One of the four structures at the site was identified as a church (Structure II). The structure (25 x10 m) is located north of structure I (apparently a residential building). A sounding revealed a mosaic floor with a geometric design in black, white, grey, red and yellow. In the corners there are floral decorations. The building is surrounded by tombs of the Byzantine period.

Dwellings:

Structure III: the third building in the complex (35 x 20 m) northwest of structure II. This building seems to have been residential. Structure IV: located about 400 m southeast of building I, on the far bank of the wadi and seems also to have been residential.

Burials:

Several concentrations of tombs were observed. The main concentration is east of structure II, two smaller concentrations are to its west and to the west of structure IV. A typical tomb, according to the excavator, consists of a square chamber with arcosolia on three sides, each containing 2-3 burial troughs. Crosses enclosed in circles were carved on both sides of the tomb entrances.

Water installations:

Two rock-cut and built aqueducts carried water from ‘Ein Fara to structures I and IV, one of which crossed the riverbed by means of small bridges and passed through structure III. The system also included a built pool (10 x 7.5 m). A cistern was located in the courtyard of structure I and a second cistern outside the structure.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Pottery	Dated to the sixth to eighth centuries CE
Glass	Fragments of vessels
Stone vessels	Stone objects and marble slabs

Detailed description

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
unknown			Ground floor

Tombs type:

Arcosolium

Built paths

Retaining walls

Agricultural installations:

Terraces [=t]

Water installations:

Cisterns

Channels

Spring

Aqueduct

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Abandonment

General outline:

The remains of four structures one of which was identified as a church.

Dating material:

Dated to 6th century CE based on the pottery.

Phase date

Century:

6th c.

General outline:

The monastery apparently continued to exist well into the Early Islamic period as the excavators dated its end to the eighth century CE.

Dating material:

Based on the pottery.

Phase date

Century:

8th c.

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use