The Balu‘a Regional Archaeology Project (BRAP)

The Balu’a Regional Archaeology Project is a multi-disciplinary archaeological investigation of Khirbat al-Balu’a, a large site with a long settlement history located in the northern Karak Plateau, ca. 10 km south of Wadi Mujib and ca. 20 km north of Karak. The projected is co-directed by Kent D. Bramlett, Monique D. Roddy, and Friedbert Ninow, whose focus is primarily the site’s expansive Iron Age occupation. I am Field Director of the Islamic Village Excavations, which focus on the large Islamic period village at the site’s southwestern edge.

Islamic Village Excavations

The first season of BRAP excavations in the Islamic Village took place in summer 2022. These excavations focused on an area called The Khan, a ca. 50 x 50 m square building tentatively identified as a khan/caravanserai (or road inn), at the southwesternmost edge of the village. While we hypothesize that this building was constructed in the early 14th century, the 2022 excavations primarily revealed a 16th-17th century reuse phase wherein the excavated room was remodeled for domestic or storage purposes. Large threshing floors around The Khan likely also date to this phase, and seem to hint at an expansion of agricultural production at Khirbat al-Balu‘a during this period. Analysis of the finds from this season is ongoing, and future seasons will continue to investigate both this phase and the earlier occupation phases of The Khan and other structures in the Islamic Village.