Numayrid ar-Raqqa. Archaeological and Historical Evidence for a ‘Dimorphic State’ in the Bedouin Dominated Fringes of the Fatimid Empire.

ORIENTALIA LOVANIENSIA ANALECTA 140 IN THE rv Proceedings of the 9th and lOth International Colloquium organized at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in May 2000 and May 2001 U. VERMEULEN and J. VAN STEENBERGEN (eds.) UTTGEVERU PEETERS LEUVEN - DUDLEY, MA 2005  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND fflSTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR A "DIMORPHIC STATE" IN THE BEDOUIN DOMINATED FRINGES OF THE FÄTIMID EMPIRE1 D. S. Richards has defined the period of change between 950 and 1150 A.D. in a Conference volume äs "the turning point of the history of the Islamic culture"2. In the same volume C. E. Bosworth labelled this period the "transition period in the Islamic history"3. Looking at the regional context, we might pose the question of the meaning of this tran- sition for northern Syria and northern Mesopotamia. Urban development and economic conditions from the 'Abbäsid to the ZangTd-Ayyübid period may be described äs an initial period of gradual decline followed by a renaissance of the cities.4 This was not the case in all the lands of the Islamic empire. During the transition period Egypt reached a cultural and economic peak under the rule of the Fätimid caliphs. Cairo, Fustät and Alexandria were flour- ishing major urban centres connected by the Mediterranean and the Red Sea with the rest of the known world from the Chinese empire to the caliphate in Spain, to Byzantium and through Italy to the Holy Roman 1 The study is based on my habilitation-project Die Renaissance der Städte in Nordsyrien und Nordmesopotamien. Städtische Entwicklung und wirtschaftliche Bedin- gungen in ar-Raqqa und Harrän von der Zeit der beduinischen Vorherrschaft bis zu den Seldschuken, (Islamic History and Civilization. Studies and Texts 40), Leiden 2002. The archaeological and numismatic details of the sounding in the north-eastern corner of the congregational mosque can be found in S. HEIDEMANN, "Ein Schatzfund aus dem Raqqa der Numairidenzeit, die „Siedlungslücke" in Nordmesopotamien und eine Werkstatt in der Großen Moschee", Damaszener Mitteilungen 11 (1999), p. 227-242. For an overview on the city's history see the contributions by the author to S. HEIDEMANN - A. BECKER, Raqqa II — Die islamische Stadt, Mainz 2003. I am much indebted to Rudi Matthee, Marcus Phillips and Susan Tyler-Smith for the careful revision of the English draft. 2 D.S. RICHARDS (ed.), Islamic Civilisation 950-1150, (Papers on Islamic History III), Oxford 1973, p. vii. Cp. also recently J. PAUL, "Von 950 bis 1200", A. NOTH & J. PAUL (eds.), Der islamische Orient, Grundzüge seiner Geschichte, (Mitteilungen zur Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte der islamischen Welt 1), Würzburg 1998, p. 217-254, esp. p. 217. 3 C.E. BOSWORTH, "Barbarian Incursions: The Corning of the Turks into the Islamic World", in RICHARDS, Islamic Civilisation, p. 1-16, esp. p. 1. 4 Cp. P. von SIVERS, "Military, Merchants and Nomads. The Social Evolution of the Syrian Cities and Countryside During the Classical Period, 780-969/164-358", Der Islam 56 (1979), p. 212-244. 86 S. HEIDEMANN Empire. This is well documented by the archaeological excavations in Fustät, the Geniza documents and other literary sources and by the still impressive monumental Fätimid architecture. By contrast, during the 5th/l lth Century, Syria and northern Mesopotamia suffered a severe urban decline. Its reasons were manifold. From an archaeological and histori- cal point of view, the 5th/llth Century is regarded äs a dark age in many respects. The urban decline of this period is recognisable, even to a present day visitor to Syria. He will admire the great monuments of the Umayyad period, the congregational mosques in Damascus and Aleppo äs well äs the "desert castles". For important 'Abbäsid monuments he will travel to ar- Raqqa on the Euphrates. He will also be impressed by the architecture of the Zanglds, the Ayyübids and the Crusaders. But he looks in vain for traces from the period in between. We are indebted to Suhayl Zakkar and Thierry Bianquis for our insight into the political conditions of two major urban Syrian centers, Aleppo and Damascus at that time5. Aleppo was a major trading city at the end of the silk-road and Damascus the Fätimid administration and garrison city for Syria. The economic conditions of these two cities were not, however, representative of the country äs a whole, because they were able to mobilize external resources by commerce or by the transfer of funds from Egypt. What happened in the rest of the region remains obscure, although conditions in provincial towns and in the countryside determine much of the prosperity of the urban centres. The case study here will focus on two medium sized cities in the Ballh valley, the Diyär Mudar in northern Mesopotamia, namely ar-Raqqa and Harrän.6 They appear paradigmatic for the urban development and eco- nomic conditions in the rest of the region. I will discuss two questions: - firstly, the methodological question concerning archaeology in the region during the so called "settlement gap (Siedlungslücke)"7 of the 5 S. ZAKKAR, The Emirate of Aleppo (1004-1094), Beirut 1971; Th. BIANQUIS, Damas et la Syrie sous la domination fatimide (359-468/969-1076). Essai d'Interpretation de chroniques arabes medievales, 2 vols., Damascus 1986, 1989. 6 I had the privilege of taking part äs historian in the excavations in ar-Raqqa of the German Archaeological Insititute in 1991 and 1993 under the direction of Michael Meinecke. In the British Museum and the School of Oriental and African Studies I was allowed to study the material from the Harrän excavations of D. S. Rice from the 1950s. I am grateful to Geoffrey King and Venetia Porter for their invaluable help in locating the excavation material. 7 K. BARTL, Frühislamische Besiedlung im Balih-TallNordsyrien, (Berliner Beiträge zum Vorderen Orient 15), Berlin 1994, p. 187, see also p. 116.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 87 5th/l l"1 Century. A fallen wall in ar-Raqqa will exemplify this problem (see below). - secondly, the role of the Bedouin principality of the Banü Numayr whose character can be defined with a combined archaeological and historical approach äs a Bedouin-sedentary state or in the words of Michael Rowton äs a "dimorphic state" at the fringes of the Fätimid empire. For Rowton "dimorphic state" means a state led by a nomadic ruler who is accommodating himself to urban forms of ruler- ship but who keeps his power base within the pasture at the same time: a ruler who has to balance between the interests of the settled people and the nomads äs well.8 Let me briefly bring the topography of ar-Raqqa to life (map). Ar-Raqqa is situated at the junction of the BalTh river with the Euphrates within the Diyär Mudar, the western part of the Gazrra, northern Mesopotamia. The Byzantine emperor Justinian I (reigned 527-565 A.D.) reinforced the classical Hellenistic city of Kallinikos, the later ar-Raqqa, with a rectangular city wall. In the year 155111'1-2, the 'Abbäsid caliph al-Mansür (reigned 136-158/754—775) ordered the "companion city" —• ar-Räfiqa — to be built on the western side for a Huräsänian garrison. According to the sources MadTnat as-Saläm, the newly built imperial palace-city, served äs model for its layout: in the centre stood the congregational mosque and probably south of it a gov- ermental palace (dar al- 'imära). A strong city wall was surrounding the entire urban area. Many features were influenced by other sources and designed to serve the needs of a garrison. For example the Hellenistic grid plan of the city was adopted in order to house a large military colony. Twenty-five years later the caliph Harun ar-RasId (reigned 170-193/786-809) began to enlarge ar-Raqqa/ar-Räfiqa with a spacious palace area north of the twin-cities during the twelve years of his occu- pation. As a result, it became the most spacious urban complex in the Islamic empire, west of Baghdad. In 1982, the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) started rescue excavations in the south-eastern section of the palace area. In coopera- tion with Murhaf al-Khalaf, the general director of the Syrian Antiquity 8 The analytical frame for the character of the nomadic state used here can be found in a series of articles by M. ROWTON, "Autonomy and Nomadism in Western Asia", Orientalia 42 (1973), p. 247-258; idem, "Urban Autonomy in a Nomadic Environment", Journal of Near Rastern Staates 32 (1973), p. 201-215; idem, "Enclosed Nomadism", JESHO 17 (1974), p. 1-30; äs well äs R.P. LINDNER"S "What Was a Nomadic Tribe?", Comparative Studies in Society andHistory 24 (1982), p. 689-711. 88 S. HEIDEMANN Authority in the Governorate ar-Raqqa, sondages were also undertaken within the congregational mosque. This courtyard mosque with a qibla- riwäq was erected in 155/772. It is the first example of a pillar-mosque in Islamic architecture and served probably äs a model for later congre- gational mosques in Baghdad, Sämarrä', Fustät and Cairo9. Only the foundations of the arcades and the exterior wall of this mosque remain visible. The minaret in the courtyard and the impressive row of arcades belong to a later Zangld restoration-period in the 6th/12lh Century (ill. 2). A FALLEN WALL DISCOVERED In September 1991 when the north-eastern corner of the congrega- tional mosque was excavated, a wall was found in situ, but fallen straight on its side (ill. 3). It was apparently erected after the cAbbäsid foundation period. It had connected the northern wall with the second arcade pier and separated a room from the northern riwäq (ill. 4). Because the wall was not joined either to the northern wall or to the pier, it had fallen at an unknown time towards the east. The space between the eastern wall and the first arcade pier had been filled except for a small passage one metre wide. Between the first and second arcade pier all the baked bricks had been robbed. The fallen wall covered not only the collapsed roof, which had fallen down earlier, but also a good deal of other material. Among them were 30.8 kilogram of iron slag and — mainly under the collapsed roof — 6.2 kilograms of used and twisted iron nails (ill. 5). A group of small white limestone tiles were piled carefully by the northern wall and fifty-five more were found mixed among the debris of the roof. The debris was enriched by thousands of mouse-bones and bones from a wide variety of the regional fauna, wild and domestic.10 9 M. MEINECKE, "Raqqa on the Euphrates: Recent Excavations at the Residence of Harun er-Rashid", in S. KERNER (ed.), The Near East in Antiquity. German Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, Amman 1991, p. 17-32, esp. p. 21-23; idem, "Forced Labor in Early Islamic Architecture: The Case of ar-Raqqa/ar-Räfiqa on the Euphrates", in M. MEINECKE, Patterns and Stylistic Changes in Islamic Architecture, New York, London 1996, p. 5-30, esp. p. 13-15; idem, "ar-Raqqa am Euphrat: Imperiale und religiöse Strukturen der islamischen Stadt", Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 128 (1996), p. 157-172, esp. p. 162-164. 10 The bones were carefully analyzed by C. BECKER, "Archäozoologische Ergeb- nisse aus ar-Raqqa — Von Schafen, Kamelen, Mäusen und Mauerseglern", in V. DAIBER & S. HEIDEMANN (eds.), Raqqa V, Mainz (forthcoming). Her results present a vivid picture of the nourishment of the people in ar-Räfiqa and the regional äs well äs the  NUMAYRTO AR-RAQQA 89 There were pits in the pavement, which had originally been paved, and then plastered: they seem to be traces of heavy tripods which had obviously been reset several times. Traces of ash and fumaces were also recognisable. Five years earlier, when Michael Meinecke dug out the eastern wall at the north-eastern corner, he had found ceramic sherds and the broken glass of around 250 lamps at the stairs of the north-eastern tower. The findings suggest a workshop in which old and used materials were stored, some of which were probably recycled on the spot. The störe then remained unused for a considerable time. This is suggested by thousands of mouse bones and other fauna found among the debris. Andrea Becker noted the similarity of the ceramic sherds and the glass lamps to those found in the 'Abbäsid palaces of ar-Raqqa and proposed a dating of the workshop to the cAbbäsid period, that is the 2nd_3rd/gth_9th centuries- Qn the other band, Michael Meinecke pointed to the unusual location of the workshop within the layout of the mosque. A workshop of this kind does not belong to a mosque that is in actual use for worship under normal conditions. He therefore excluded the 'Abbäsid period. From inscriptions it is known that Nur ad-DTn Mahmud ibn Zangl commissioned some restoration work in the mosque between 541/1146 and 561/1165-1166. The facade of the qibla-riwäq with its monumental inscription from the year 561/1165-1166 is still impressive (ill. 2)n. The minaret in the courtyard was probably erected during this same period of restoration12. On the basis of the unusual position of the minaret, Meinecke suggested that Nur ad-DTn Mahmud might have reduced the original size of the courtyard to the north, so that the workshop in the north-eastern corner was situated outside the restored imported fauna. Her final conclusion, however, that the mosque enclosure might have housed a market for victualia, seems questionable from a historical point of view. Markets for victualia are usually not at the most preferred location for shops in a city. This is the area close to the mosque. Also a metal workshop within or neighbouring a grocery is hardly imaginable for markets in an Islamic eastern mediterranean city. Cp. E. WIRTH, Die orientalische Stadt, Mainz 2000, esp. p. 118-138. Furthermore the inher- ent hypothesis that a mosque enclosure can house a süq with shops is not proven and needs parallel cases for comparison, cp. J. PEDERSEN, art. „Masdjid", Et2, VI, p. 644—677, esp. c. 655. It seems to the present author much more likely tfiat the dilapidated north- eastern corner and the neglected störe were used äs a hidden deposit for domestic garbage which attracted mice and other rodents. 11 M. v. OPPENHEIM, "Arabische Inschriften", in F. SARRE & E. HERZFELD (eds.), Archäologische Reise im Euphrat- und Tigrisgebiet I, Berlin 1911, p. 1-51, esp. p. 4—5. 12 See R. HILLENBRAND, "Eastern Islamic Influences in Syria: Raqqa and Qal'at Ja'bar in the Later 12th Century", J. RABY (ed.), The Art of Syria and the Jazira 1100-1250, (Oxford Studies in Islamic Art 1), Oxford 1985, p. 21-48, esp. p. 40-41. 90 S. HEIDEMANN mosque proper13. He dated the workshop to the period after the Zangld restoration, a date 300 to 350 years later than the proposed 'Abbäsid date. Both opinions are founded on good reasoning. continuous The debris was sifted carefully. Not only iron slag, twisted nails, ceramic glass sherds and bones appeared but thirteen coins were also found. At least eight of them constitute a hoard of dirhams. Seven of them bear with certainty the inscription "(•-•) struck (...) in ar-Raqqa in the year 450 [1058-1059]" (ill. 6 and 7) — a time when the Diyär Mudar was under the sway of an Arab tribe, called Banü Numayr. They had migrated a hundred years earlier from the Arabian peninsula into the GazTra being part of the second migration wave of Arab tribes from the Arabian peninsula after the Islamic conquest14. The political domination of the Banü Numayr over the eitles in the Ballh valley lasted from the end of the 4th/10th to the end of the S*/!!* Century. The most important Numayrid chief is named on these coins: "al-'amlr Naglb ad-Dawla 'Abu z-Zimäm Manf " ibn Sabib ibn Wattäb. During the 5th/Hth Century the possession of ar-Raqqa on the Euphrates was much disputed between the Numayrids in the Diyär Mudar and the rival Arab Bedouin clan of the Banü Mirdäs from the tribe of Kiläb. The latter had their pasture grounds in northern Syria. Their roaming region went down the Euphrates valley to the fortress of ar-Rahba. They controlled Aleppo for quite some time15. In the period in which the coins were minted, the Sitte Fätimids of Cairo had growing ambitions to overthrow the Sunru "Abbäsid caliph in Baghdad. They encouraged and supported the pro- Fätimid rebellion of the Büyid General 'Arslän al-Basäsm in Iraq against Selgüq rule. During this rebellion Manf ibn Sabib succeeded in regaining ar-Raqqa with the help of Fätimid diplomacy. This is why the other side of the coin names the Fätimid caliph al~ Mustansir billäh (reigned 427-487/1036-1084) äs overlord. The exis- tence of Numayrid coins was only known to a few specialists with the exception of four incidentally published specimens16. This hoard of eight coins is significant in several respects. 13M. MEINECKE, "al-Rakka", EP, VIII, p. 410-414. 14Ibn al-'Adlm, Kamäl ad-DIn 'Abu 1-Qäsim 'Umar ibn 'Ahmad ibn Hibat Allah (d. 660/1262, Bugyat at-talabfi tärlh Halab. Ed. S. ZAKKÄR, 12 vols., Damascus 1988, vol. I, p. 553, mentions the year 309/921-922 for the migration. 15 For their history see ZAKKÄR, The Emirate of Aleppo. 16 N.D. Nicol, "Islamic Coinage in Imitation of Fätimid Types", Israel Numismatic Journal 10 (1988-1989), p. 58-79, esp. p. 69, no. 30, 31; Sotheby's, London, Auction (9-10 October 1995), no. 54; Dr. Busso Peus Nachf., Auktion 345 (1995), no. 1051.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 91 - Firstly, they are the first Numayrid coins from an archaeological context. - Secondly, this group is the first hoard of Numayrid coins. - Thirdly, it constituted the second coin hoard from 5 th /ll th Century from Syria and northern Mesopotamia. - And finally, the coins note ar-Raqqa äs the official name instead of ar-Räfiqa, which had served äs its official 'Abbäsid name for many cenruries. An earlier date for the official use of the name ar-Raqqa is found on a Fätimid dlnär, minted in ar-Raqqa, in the year 401/1010- 1011, which was discovered after the hoard was found17. The transfer of the name ar-Raqqa from the declining Hellenistic Kallinikos to the fortified 'Abbäsid companion-city ar-Räfiqa had been accomplished by this time. The dlnär and the hoard are the earliest proof for this change, predating by 150 years the Statement of the well-known scholar as-Sarn'am (d. 562/1166)I8, who spent one or two days in ar- Raqqa/ar-Räfiqa on his way to Aleppo: [Ar-Räfiqa] — it is a big city (balda kabira) on the Euphrates, which is called nowadays (as-sä'a) ar-Raqqa. And ar-Raqqa was situ- ated next by her and feil into ruins19. 17 Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Shamma collection. For this coin and the specific political Situation of a Fätimid occupation of ar-Raqqa in this year see HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 75-80.1 am indebted to Lutz Disch, Tübingen, for bringing this coin to my attention. 18 R. SELLHBIM, "al-Sam'äm", EP, VIII, p.. 1024f. 19 as-Samlm, 'Abu Sa'd "Abd al-Kanm ibn Muhammad ibn Mansür at-Tamiml (d. 562/1166), Al-'Ansäb, ed. 'A. 'U. al-BÄRüDi, 5 vols., Beirut 1408/1988, vol. III, p. 28 (ar- Räfiql) (hiya baldatun kablratun 'ala l-Furäti yuqäla laha r-Raqqatu s-sä'ata, wa r-Raqqatu känat bi gänibihäfa haribat). For a similar quotation cp. H, 84 (ar-Raqqf). Ibn al-'Adim, Bugya, II, p. 990, repeats this in the first half of the 7th/13th Century with simi- lar wording: "ar-Räfiqa, that is a city on the bank of the Euphrates, which is now known äs ar-Raqqa. Ar-Raqqa was situated next to her and feil in ruins ([...] ar-Räfiqatu wa hiya baldatun 'alä satti l-Furäti tu'rafii bi r-Raqqati s-sä'ata, wa r-Raqqatu känatyagnabuhä fa haribat)". And finally the well known geographer Yäqüt al-HamawT, 'Abdalläh Yäqüt ibn 'Abdalläh ar-RümT al-Bagdädi (d. 626/1229), Kitäb Mu'gam al-buldän, ed. F. WÜS- TENFELD, Jacut's geographisches Wörterbuch aus den Handschriften aus Berlin, St. Petersburg and Paris, 6 vols., Leipzig 1866-1870, vol. II, p. 735, relates: "However nowadays ar-Raqqa lies in ruins but its name gained superiority over ar-Räfiqa. So the name of the city [ar-Räfiqa] became ar-Raqqa (wa 'inna r-Raqqata haribat wa galaba smuhä 'ala r-Räfiqati wa sära smu l-madlnati r-Raqqati)". See also Yäqüt, Kitäb al-Mus- tarik wad'an wa l-muftariq saq'an, ed. F. WÜSTENFELD, Jäcüt's Moschtarik, das ist: Lexikon geographischer Homonyme. Aus den Handschriften zu Wien undLeyden, Göttin- gen 1846; reprint Baghdad s.d., p. 208, and ad-DimasqT, Sams ad-DIn 'Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'Ibrahim ibn 'Abu Tälib al-'Ansäri as-Süfi (d. 727/1327), Nuhbat ad-dahr fl 'agä'ib al-barr wal-bahr, ed. M. A. F. MEHREN, Cosmographie de Chems-ed-Din Abou Abdalläh Mohammed ed-Dimichqui, St. Petersburg 1865-1866; reprint Osnabrück 1982, p. 191: ([...] And the first [ar-Raqqa] feil in ruins, but both names remained for a single 92 S. HEIDEMANN THE "LACK OF SETTLEMENTS" IN THE 10TH/11TH CENTURY The hoard provides the terminus post quem of the workshop in the north-eastern corner. The coins were strack in 450/1058. This lies mid- way between the suggested dates of Michael Meinecke and Andrea Becker. The different hypotheses about the dating, "early Islamic" on the one hand and "ZangTd" on the other hand, point to a problem in Near Eastern archaeology which I will only mention in passing, without going into details. It is the problem that Karin Bartl calls "Siedlungs- lücke (lack of settlements or settlement gap)". The term refers to the almost complete lack of datable artifacts and architectural structures for the period of Bedouin domination between the early Islamic and the Zangid/Ayyübid period, a problem which appeared most obviously dur- ing a survey undertaken under the direction of P. M. M. G. Akkermans and M. N. van Loon of the University of Amsterdam. Karin Bartl stud- ied the Islamic material from the sites and summarizes her observation: With regard to the repertoire of the ceramics two periods have become better known today: the early 'Abbäsid period (mid/end 8* — end 9*/beginning 10* Century) and the period of the Zangids and Ayyübids (mid 12*/mid 13* Century). From [...] the period between the 10* and the mid of the 12* Century which was characterized politically by numerous local dynasties in northern Mesopotamia almost no material remains. [...] The seeming lack of finds in northern Syria between the 10* and the mid 12* Century can only partly be attributed to the current state of research. The political conditions make a reduc- tion of permanent settlements probable during this time20. [.. .And]: The settlement pattern which can be deduced from the analysis of the ceram- ics points finally to a peak in the 9* Century which is likely to have con- tinued to the early 10* Century. The following period of about 200-250 years is characterized by an apparent lack of settlements (Siedlungs- lücke), or extremely reduced settlement activities which included only some of the major places yet. They, äs well äs some other settlements, continued to be inhabited during the 12* and 13* Century21. city; [...]fa haribati l-'ülä wa baqiya l-ismäni wäqi'ayni 'alä madlnatin wähidatin). Cp. for a continuous use of the name ar-Räfiqa Ibn al-'Adlm, Zubdat al-halab min tärlh Halab, ed. S. ad-DAHHÄN, Histoire d'Alep, 3 vols., Damascus, 1951-1968, vol. I, p. 258, 273; 'Idnsl, 'Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Idffs al- Hamüdl al-HasanT (d. about 560/1165), Kitäb Nuzhat al-mustäq fi htiräq al-'afäq, eds. E. CERULLI, F. GABRIELI, G. LEVI DELLA VIDA et al., Opus geographorum, Naples, Rome 1970-1984, p. 654; and Ibn Saddäd, 'Izz ad-DIn ^Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Ibrahim (d. 684/1285), Al-'A'läq al-hatiraßdikr 'umarä'as-Säm wa l-Gazira (al-GazTra), vol. III, 2 parts, continuous pagination, ed. Y. IBBÄRA, Damascus 1978, p. 76. 20 BARTL, Frühislamische Besiedlung, p. 116. 21 BARTL, Frühislamische Besiedlung, p. 187.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 93 The period of the Banü Numayr was one of military conflict, a Situa- tion which normally yields much archaeological evidence, with the inhabitants of the settlements burying their wealth unable to retrieve it later. Apparently this did not happen in the case of the Bedouin domi- nated Diyär Mudar or in northern Syria. The narrative sources provide part of the explanation. The 'amirs of the Banü Numayr used to live in their camps outside the cities which were ruled in their names. Within the city military slaves, guläms, served äs administrators for their fiscal affairs22. The Bedouin 'amirs äs a rule had no interest in urban life. Manf ibn SabTb provides a remarkable exception among the leaders of the Banü Numayr. Ibn Hawqal describes the general Situation in the val- ley äs follows: Tribes of the Rabf a and the Mudar live in it [the GazTra, that is northern Mesopotamia]. They are breeders of horses, sheep and a few carnels. Most of them are connected to the villages and their inhabi- tants. They are settled Bedouins (bädiya hädira). At this time groups (butün) of the Qays-Aylän tribes, many of the Qusayr, the TJqayl, the Banü Numayr and the Banü Kiläb intruded upon them. They expelled them [the settled nomads and the other settled people] from some of their lands, indeed from most of them while appropriating some places (balad) and regions (*iqllm). Among these places such äs Har- rän, Gisr Manbig, al-Häbür23, al-Hänüqa24, 'Arabän25, QarqTsiyä26 and 22 See for example Ibn al-'Adim, Zubda, I, p. 258f. (guläm); Ibn al-'Atir, 'Izz ad-DTn 'All ibn Muhammad (d. 630/1232), Al-Kämil fl t-tärih, ed. C. J. TORNBERG, 13 vols., Leiden 1851-1874, vol. IX, p. 244 [doubled pagination, sie!] (here äs nä'ib lahff). 23 Area of the river al-Häbür, which entered the Euphrates near ar-Rahba; Yäqüt, Buldän, II, p. 383f. 24 City (madlna) on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, halfway between ar-Raqqa and Qarqlsiyä'; Ibn Hawqal, 'Abu 1-Qäsim ibn "AH an-NasibT (d. after 378/988): Kitäb sürat al-'ard, ed. J. H. KRAMERS, Opus geographicum, Liber Imaginis Terrae, (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum II), Leiden 1873, reprint 1967, p. 209; transl. G. WEET, Conßguration de la Terre, 2 vols., Beirut, Paris 1964, p. 204; Yäqüt, Buldän, II, p. 394. Cp. Ibn al-'Adlm, Zubda, I, p. 273 (misspelled äs al-Hänüta). F. SARRE & E. HERZFELD, Archäologische Reise im Euphrat- und Tigrisgebiet, 4 vols., Berlin 1911-1920, vol. I, p. 164-166; Bianquis, Damas, II, p. 573. 25 Town on the Häbür, today Tall 'Agafa; Yäqüt, Buldän, III, p. 632f.; Ibn Saddäd, 'A'läq, III, p. 151. H. GAUBE, "Mittelalterliche Münz- und Keramikfunde aus dem unteren Häbür-Tal (Nordsyrien)", W. SZATVERT (ed.), Litterae numismaticae Vindobonenses 1. Roberto Gobi dedicatae, Vienna 1979, p. 169-184, esp. p. 179; G. LEHMANN, Bibliogra- phie der archäologischen Fundstellen und Surveys in Syrien und Libanon, (Orient- Archäologie 9), Rahden 2002, p. 11. 26 Town on the Häbür, near ar-Rahba, today Busayra. Ibn Hawqal, Süra, p. 227, describes QarqTsiyä' äs a pleasant place: "[...] considering even that the damage has harmed her ([...] wa 'in käna htilälu qad säbahä)"; Yäqüt, Buldän, IV, p. 65f.; Ibn Saddäd, 'A'läq, III, p. 151-153; Idrlsl, Nuzha, p. 657. M. STRECK, "Karklsiyä", EP, IV, p. 654f.; GAUBE, "Mittelalterliche Münz- und Keramikfunde", p. 179; LEHMANN, Bibliographie, p. 111. 94 S. HEIDEMANN ar-Rahba27 were in their hands. They decide over their protection and protection-money (hafä'iruhä2* wa-maräflquhä?9. Bedouins constantly threatened the routes between the villages and eitles in the Diyär Mudar amongst others30. Agriculture based on irrigation pre- vailed in the BalTh valley south of Harrän31. In periods of weak urban rule, the Bedouin pastures expanded to the boundaries of the eitles at the expense of the resources of settled population. But not only endangered liv- ing conditions contribute to the Impression of the so called "settlement gap", also some of the most common tools used for archaeological dating: ceramics and coins are due to it äs well. Until recently, no stratigraphic sequence for the dating of ceramics for the Diyär Mudar between the Umayyad and Ayyübid periods had been firmly established. Cristina Tonghini has recently dated some splash-ware to the 5*711* Century32. These new findings are bound to change our view of this period. Further- more, coin evidence is usually missing from most archaeological strata of the period. This phenomenon is mainly linked to the coinage system and its legal regulations at the time. During the Umayyad and early 'Abbäsid period copper coins were not much valued and so frequently found their way into archaeological strata. The coinage System in the period under con- sideration is characterised by an almost complete lack of copper coinage 27 City and fortress at the junction of the Häbur with the Euphrates; Yäqüt, Buldän, IV, p. 65-66. E. HONIGMANN & Th. BIANQUIS, "al-Rahba", EP, VIII, p. 393-396. Ihn Butlän provides a contemporary description of the city from the year 440/1048-1049; Ibn Butlän in Ibn al-QiftT, öamäl ad-DTn 'Abu 1-Hasan 'AI! ibn Yüsuf ibn 'Ibrahim as-Saybäm al-Qifti al-TJqaylT, known äs al-Qädl ai-'Akram (d. 646/1248), Kitäb 'Ahbär al-'ulamä'bi 'ahbär al-hukamä', ed. J. LIPPERT, Leipzig 1903, p. 295. 28 C. CAHEN^ "Khafära", EI2, IV, p. 913. 29 Ibn Hawqal, Süra, p. 228; transl. WIET, p. 222; G. DEGENER, Das Emirat der Banü 'Uqail. Eine Untersuchung zum Zerfall des 'abbäsidischen Kalifats und zur Beduini- sierung des Fruchtbaren Halbmonds, Ph.D. thesis, Göttingen 1987, p. 24. Cp. R.J. BIKHAZI, The Hamdänid Dynasty of Mesopotamia andNorth Syria 254^041868-1014, Ph.D. the- sis, Änn Arbor 1981, p. 1361 30 Cp. al-MuqaddasI, Sams ad-DTh "Abd Allah Muhammad ibn 'Ahmad ibn 'Abi Bakr al-Bannä' aä-äämT, known äs al-Bissän (d. about 380/990), 'Ahsan at-taqäsimfi ma'rifat al- 'aqällm, ed. M.J. de GOEJE, Descriptio Imperii Moslemici, (Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum III), Leiden 1877, reprint 1967, p. 33, 141. 31 TJ. WILKINSON, "Water and Human Settlement in the Balikh Valley, Syria", Jour- nal of Field Archaeology 25 (1998), p. 63-87; BARTL, Frühislamische Besiedlung, p. 249-251. 32 C. TONGHINI, "A New Islamic Pottery Phase in Syria: Teil Shahin", Levant 27 (1995), p. 197-207; C. TONGHINI & J. HENDERSON, "An Eleventh-Century Pottery Pro- duction Workshop at ar-Raqqa, Preliminary Report", Levant 30 (1998), p. 113-127, esp. p. 125.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 95 and the use of a debased silver coinage. These highly alloyed silver coins, called black dirhams or dirham 'aswads, did not tend to be preferred objects for hoarding, because their silver content is too low. A single frag- ment of a gold coin could easily substitute for a larger group of them. At the same time they were not discarded like copper coins because of their, admittedly low, silver content. This monetary System is one decisive factor influencing the archaeological survival of coins33. Let us now return to the dating of the workshop within the congrega- tional mosque. The exceptional Numayrid hoard of eight much debased dirhams provides a terminus post quem of 450/1058-1059. The ceramic and glass sherds which are similar to the findings in the "Abbäsid palace area, the twisted iron nails and the limestone tiles can now be regarded äs a collection of used and broken material. The bones may be remains of deposited domestic garbage and rodents attracted by them. The homo- geneity of the hoard and the lack of wear, together with features of the contemporary coinage System make it probable that the small hoard came into the workshop not much later than 450/1058-1059. With these presuppositions in mind one is inclined to say — with Michael Meinecke — that the workshop and störe must have been situated outside the sacred area of the mosque proper long before the Zangld restoration phase. A division and reduction in size of the courtyard is, however, hard to imagine because the "Abbäsid enclosure wall is still Standing upright and marks out the whole area äs belonging to the mosque (ill. 2). Although there are exam- ples in the middle ages where a courtyard of mosques could get features of a market place — because it constitutes a public area for gathering — a glass and metal workshop for recycling used materials is hard to imagine in that Situation and is not corroborated by any written sources34. FÄTIMID PROTECTION LEADS TO A "DIMORPHIC STATE" If one looks less for an architectural explanation than for a historical setting in which the existence of a workshop and störe for used materials 33 See L. ILISCH, "Ein Fund von Dirhams des Mirdäsiden Nasr und das Münzwesen von Aleppo im 2. Viertel des 11. Jahrhunderts A.D.", Münstersche Numismatische Zeitung 11, no. 4 (August 1981), p. 41-50; HEIDEMANN, „Ein Schatzfund", p. 235-239 and idem, Renaissance, p. 369-373; idem, "Goldmünzfragmente des 11. Jahrhunderts aus der Zitadelle von Damaskus werfen Licht auf die Renaissance der Städte in Syrien", Archäologie-Online (April 2003) (http://www.archaeologie-online.de/magazin/fund- punkt/2003/04/c_l.php) for details about the coinage System of this period. 34 J. PEDERSEN, "Masdjid", EP-, VI, p. 644-677, esp. p. 655. 96 S. HEIDEMANN might be conceivable, one finds one between the year 450/1058 and the beginning of 452/1060-1061. Without providing defmite evidence for it, the hypothesis explains the archaeological Situation according to the numismatic and archaeological findings äs well äs the literary sources. Definite proof would require further investigation of the building itself. The armr of the Banü Numayr Manf ibn SabTb reached the zenith of his power during the pro-Fätimid rebellion of the Büyid general 'Abu 1-Härit 'Arslän al-Basäsm35 in Iraq between 447/1055 and 451/1059-1060. Fätimid strategy regarded northern Mesopotamia äs the key to the con- quest of Baghdad and the routes along the Euphrates äs the supply-lines of the rebellion and military deployment zone. Man!' ibn SabTb and the Banü Numayr were threatening this strategically important part of the Fätimid route into Iraq. There was a protracted and bitter feud between the Mir- däsids in Aleppo and the Numayrids in Harrän over the possession of ar- Raqqa and the supremacy over the fertile pasture surrounding it. Its origins went back to the year 431/1039-1040 when SabTb ibn Wattab died without an adult heir. His sister as-Sayyida 'AlawTya was then residing in ar- Raqqa. She was formerly married to Nasr ibn Sälih ibn Mirdäs, nomadic ruler of Aleppo. After the death of the latter in the aftermath of a battle against a Fätimid army in 429/1038 she fled with Nasr's brother Tamäl from Aleppo into the Gazira. Later in ar-Raqqa she ousted the governor (guläm) of her brothers al-Mutä'in and al-Qawäm, both having succeeded SabTb after his death. In order to protect her dignity (hayba), äs Ibn al- 'AdTm is telling us, she married Tamäl. He took over ar-Raqqa. The Banü Kiläb whose roaming area stretched äs far äs ar-Rahba now gained firm control over the pasture at the junction between the BalTh river and the Euphrates36. When the son of SabTb, the young Manf, reached adulthood, he took over the lead of the Banü Numayr sometime between 436/1044- 1045 and 447/1055-105637. He regarded himself äs the legitimate heir of 35 Ibn al-'Adüm, Bugya, m, p. 1347-1354. M. CANARD, "al-Basäsin", EP-, I, p. 1073-1075; H. BUSSE, Chalifund Großkönig. Die Buyiden im Iraq (945-1055), (Beiruter Texte und Studien 6), Beirut, Wiesbaden 1969, p. 125-127; ZAKKAR, Emirate, p. 148-155. 36 Ibn al-'AdTm, Zubda, I, p. 258; "AzTmT, Muhammad ibn 'AIT ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Nizär 'Abu 'Abd Allah (d. 556/1161), Tärih Halab, ed. I. ZA'RÜR, Damascus 1984, p. 334 (death of Sablb here 432 h.). D.S. RICE, "Medieval Harrän. Studies on Its Topography and Monuments I", Anatolian Studies 2 (1952), p. 36-84, esp. p. 82; HEIDE- MANN, Renaissance, p. 97-100. 37 These dates were established on coin evidence from Harrän. The coin of 436/1044-1045 (NicoL, "Islamic Coinage", no. 31; HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 98f. no. 13) mentions Mutä'in ibn Wattab, the uncle of Manf, äs amir and the next dated coin was struck in the year 447/1055- 1056 in the name of Manf (HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 105 no. 15a, b).  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 97 his father's possessions38. Whereas Tamäl was a Fätimid vassal, Man!" changed sides from the Fätimids to the Selgüq sultan Tugrilbeg (reigned 429-455/1038-1063)39. In Ramadan 447/December' 1055 Tugrilbeg conquered Baghdad and expelled the Büyid general 'Arslän al-Basäsm from the 'Abbäsid capital. Withdrawing from Iraq al-Basäsm made ar-Rahba at the junction between the Häbür and the Euphrates his centre of resistance and base for further militaiy operations against the Selgüqs. In Safar 448/April 1056 a war (harb) broke out between Man!" and Tamäl over the possession of ar-Raqqa. At the beginning of Safar war broke out between Manf ibn Sablb ihn Wattäb an-Numayrl, the lord of Harran, and Mu'izz ad-Dawla 'Abu 'Ulwän Tamäl ibn Sälih ar-Ru'quIIya, the lord of Aleppo, about [the possession of] ar-Raqqa. It had belonged to Sablb, the father of Manf. It so happened that he [probably Tamäl] betrayed the little Manf. His mother married Tamäl and handed over ar-Raqqa to him. When her son grew up, the tribes joined him and he demanded [ar- Raqqa] back. And the [Selgüq sultan] Tugrilbeg wrote a decree and sent to him robes of honour. Then he [Manf] sent a demand to Tamäl for ar-Raqqa. He refused [it] to him and then war broke out between both40. The Egyptian Fätimids send al-Mu'ayyad fi d-DTn as-STräzT41 äs their envoy (däf) into the region in order to stabilise the political Situation 38 Sibt ibn al-GawzT, Sams ad-Din 'Abu 1-Muzaffar Yüsuf ibn al-öawzf Qizüglü (d. 582/1186), Mir'ät az-zamän ß tänh al-'a'yän, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Ms. Arabe 1506. [years 440-517 h.], fol. 13r; transl. K. YAZBECK, Les dynasties de l'Islam ä travers le Mir'ät al-zamän, Beirut 1983 [years 447-452 h.], p. 44. HEIDEMANN, Renais- sance, p. 103f., 107. 39 See citation below. According to the coin evidence Manf however regarded hirnseif äs a Fätimid vassal in Harran at some time during the year 447/1055-1056; HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 105 no. 15a and 15b. 40 Sibt ibn al-GawzI, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 13r; transl. YAZBECK, p. 44: (Wafl gurrati safarin käna [sie!] bayna Mam'i bni Sabibi bni Wattäbi n-Numayrl sähibi Harräna wa bayna Mu'izzi d-Dawlati 'Abi 'Ulwäni Tamäli bni Sälihi bni r-Ru'quliyati sähibi Malabo harbun 'ala r-Raqqati wa känat li-Sabibi wälidi Mani'in wa ttafaqa 'innahü wa häna Manl'an sagiran wa tazawwagat 'ummuhü bi Tamäla wa sallamati r- Raqqata 'ilayhifa lammä kabura waladuhä wa ndäfat 'ilayhi l-qabäyili wa starga'a wa kataba lahü Tugrilbaku l-mansüra wa ba'ata 'ilayhi l-hila'a 'arsala 'ilä Tamäla bi talabi r-Raqqati fa mana'ahüfa qämati l-harbu baynahuma). 41 al-Mu'ayyad fi d-DTn Hibat Allah ibn Müsä as-STräzT (d. 470/1078), Sirat al-Mu 'ayyadfl d-Din dä'l ad-du'ät, ed. M.H. KÄMIL, Cairo 1949. V. KLEMM, Die Mission desfätimidischen Agenten al-Mu'ayyadfid-din in Slräz, Frankfurt a/M 1989, p. xi-xxvii; I. POO'NAWALA, "al-Mu'ayyad fi 1-dTn", EI2, VE, p. 270f. 98 S. HEIDEMANN and to ensure support for al-Basäsln in Safar 448/April-May 105642. Al-Mu'ayyad described Man!' very unfavourably after their first encounter and advised the vizier in Cairo to establish closer ties with the more reliable ally Tamäl43. However in Basäsm's camp in ar-Rahba the leader of the Banü Mazyad, the amlr Dubays ibn 'AH (408-474/ 1017-1082)44, convinced al-Mu'ayyad about the neccessity of including Manf in the coalition against the Selgüqs. But Mu'ayyad's efforts to mediate in this conflict were in vain45. In spite of this it is mentioned that groups of the Banü Numayr took part in the razzias against the Selgüqs at this time46. In advance of al-Basäsm's military move along the Euphrates to Bälis, after Sa'bän 449/October 1057, Mu'ayyad met Mam' and convinced him to gather his tribe and to join al-Basäsln" s cause47. At this time [Sa'bän 449/October 1057] al-BasäsirT moved from ar- Rahba to Bälis [...]; he took ar-Raqqa from the followers of Tamäl ibn Sälih ibn ar-Ru°quliya, the amir of Aleppo, and returned it to Manf ibn Wattäb, lord of Harrän48. 42 For the beginning of his mission see Mu'ayyad, Sira, p. 124 (a letter from al-Mus- tansir billäh to al-BasäsTn); al-MaqrTzT, TaqT ad-Dm Ahmad ibn 'AKJd. 845/1442) Itti'äz al-hunafä' bi 'ahbär al-'a'imma al-fätimiyin al-hulafä' Vol. I, ed. G. AS-SAYYÄL, Cairo 1387/1967; vol." II and III, ed. M.H.M. 'AHMAD, Cairo 1390/1971, 1393/1973, vol. II, p. 232 (under the year 448 h.). 43 Mu'ayyad, Sira, p. 119-121. 44 C. E. BOSWORTH, "Mazyad", EP, VI, p. 965f. 45 Mu'ayyad, Sira, p. 106, 119-121, 1241, esp. p. 128f. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 80f.; ZAKKAR, Emirate, p. 149f. 46 It is not said that they belong to that group of Banü Numayr lead by Manf. Ibn al-'Atlr, Kämil, IX, p. 432 (Gamä'a min Bani Numayr 'ashäb Harrän wa r-Raqqa). 47~Mu'ayyad, Sira, p. 170. 48 Sibt ibn al-Gawzi, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 28r; ed. A. SEVIM, Mir'ätü'z-Zeman fl Tarihi'l-Ayan, (Ankara Üniversitesi DU ve Tarih-Cografya Fakültesi Yaymlari 178), Ankara 1968. [extracts of the years 448^-80 h.], p. 22; transl. YAZBECK, p. 90 (Yazbeck misread ar-Rahba instead of the correct ar-Raqqa which is found in the manuscript and in the edition of Sevim) (wa fi hädihi l-waqti 'as'ada l-Basäsiriyu mina r-Rahbati 'ilä Bälisin [...] wa 'ahada r-Raqqata min 'ashäbi Tamäli bni Sälihi bni r-Ru'quliyati 'amlri Malabo wa raddahä 'alä Marii'i bni Wattäbin sähibi Harräna). Ibn al-'Adun, Zubda, I, p. 271 (campaign of al-BasäsTff to Bälis under the year 448 h.), 273 (Handing over of ar- Raqqa to Mam' in the year 449 h. without mentioning al-BasäsTri): "And further more it followed, that in the year 49 Mu'izz ad-Dawla [Tamäl] handed over ar-Raqqa and ar-Räfiqa to Man!' ibn §abtb ibn Wattäb, because it had belonged to his father. (Wa 'awgaba z-ziyädatufi dälika 'anna Mu'izza d-Dawlatifisanati tis'in wa 'arba'lna sallama r-Raqqata wa r-Räfiqata 'ilä Mam'i bni Sablbi bni Wattäbini n-Numayriyi li 'annahä känat li 'ablhi)". Mu'ayyad, Sira, p. 170; Ibn äaddäd, 'A'läq, III, p. 76. Cp. Ibn al-'Atlr, Kämil, IX, p. 163, 432. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 80f.; ZAKKAR, Emirate, p. 150-152 discusses the reason for the campaign to Bälis; BIANQUIS, Damas H, p. 565.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 99 This was part of a bigger shift in power, because Tamäl was com- pelled to hand over Aleppo äs well to the Fätimids in Du 1-Qa'da 449/January 1058. He was compensated with new fiefs (*iqtä'ät) in Palestine and had to leave Aleppo in Muharram 450/March 105849. In the following two years under Fätimid tutelage the Numayrids reached the peak of their power. It is probable that during this time sub- stantial amounts of money were transferred not only — äs the sources teils us — to al-Basäsrrl50, but also into the coffers of Manf ibn Sabib. Fätimid money probably allowed MariT ibn Sablb to represent himself — accord- ing to our sources — äs the first and only Numayrid amir äs an urban ruler. Manf ibn SabTb built the citadel in his main city Harrän. He trans- formed the most impressive and largest building in Harrän, the former temple of the pagan Säbians, into a palace-citadel (ill. 1). The Säbians were a pagan group following a religion whose roots can be traced back to the ancient Mesopotamian astral religions, and äs such were tolerated by the Muslim rulers. In the Islamic period their spiritual centre lay in Harrän and their intellectual centre was Baghdad. As far äs we know the func- tioning temple (haykaf) was destroyed during an uprising of rural 49 Sibt ibn al-öawzl, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 44r-v; transl. YAZBECK, p. 109 (Muharram 450); Ibn al-'Adfin, Zubda, I, p. 273f. (Du 1-Qa'da 448); 'Azurn, Tärih, p. 343 (449 h.); Ibn al-'Atir, Kämil, IX, p. 163 (Du f-Higga 449); MaqrTzT, Itti'äz, II, p. 235 (End of Du l-Qa'd~a 449). ZAKKAR, Emirate, p. 148-154, esp. p. 150; FELIX, Byzanz, p. 122 (Du 1-Qa'da 449); BIANQUIS, Damas II, p. 566 (Du 1-Qa'da 448); Th. BIANQUIS, "Mirdäs", EI2, VE, p. 119 (449 h.). Ibn al-'Adlm notes the abdication of Tamäl for Du 1-Qa'da 448. This is an obvious mistake for "449 h.", because the latter date is not in accordance with other historical informations, such äs the campaign of al-BasäsIn towards Bälis. 50 Al-BasäsirT received, according to Sibt ibn al-öawzl, Mir'ät, ed. SEVIM, consider- able means from Egypt, p. 4 (mal min Misr), 6 (min Misr 'ilayhi bi mal katlr), 12 (al- 'amwäl al-wärida 'alayhi min Misr [...] talätin *alf dinär), 27 (the 'iqtä' ar-Rahba amounted [irtifä'uhä] to 80 thousand dmärs and in addition an annual payment of 60 thousand dmärs from Egypt); Irans. YAZBECK, p. 46, 48, 57, 110; ad-Dahabi, Sams ad-DTn "Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn "Ahmad ibn 'Utmän ibn Qäymäz ibn 'Abd Allah at-Turkumänl (d. 746/1345-6), Tärlh al-Islam wa tabaqät al-masähir wa l-'a'läm, [vol. 441-460h.], ed. 'U.'A. TADMUR!, Beirut 1993, p. 37, reports that according to a cer- tain Hasan ibn Muhammad al-QiIüli, al-BasäsIn received 500 thousand dlnärs äs well äs garments worth the same amount. DahabT, Siyar 'a'läm an-nubalä', 25 vols, ed. §. al- 'ARNA'ÜT — M.N. AL-'ARQASüsI,"?111 edition, Beirut 1410/1990, vol. XVIII, p. 313 (l million dlnärs); al-MaqnzT, Itti'äz, II, p. 232, (1.3 million dmärs, 1.9 million dmärs in cash ['ayri] äs well äs equipment worth 400 thousand dlnärs). Ibn Zäfir, öamäl ad-DIn 'AU al-"AzdT (d. 623/1226), 'Ahbar ad-duwal al-munqati'a, ed. A. FERRE, 'Ahbar ad- Duwal al-Munqati'a de öamäl ad-DTn 'All ibn Zäfir. Edition critique de la section con- sacree anx Fätimides avec introduction et notes, Cairo 1972, p. 69, reports that the money transfers to al-Basäsm contributed considerably to the weakness of the Fätimid state. 100 S. HEIDEMANN population joined by the city-militia ('ahdäf) after a severe famine and epidemic diseases51. This revolt may have had a Silte back- ground. According to Yahyä al-'Antäki it occurred in 423/1032. Al-'AzTml reports the same event in 424/1033. The temple was turned into a fortified building (ma'qif2). In the following year the city was handed over to the Numayrid amif SabTb ibn Wattäb53. It seems that the Banü Numayr had lost control over the city since Wattäb's death in 410/1019- 102054. The regaining of Harrän obviously strengthened the power of the 51 For the cold winter, the famine and epidemic diseases: Yahyä ibn Sald al-'Antäkl (d. 488/1067), At-Tänh al-Magmu, ed. L. CHEKHO, Annales Yahia Ihn Said Antiochensis, (CSCO 51, Scriptores Arabici TU, 7), Paris, Leipzig 1909, p. 27 If; ed. 'U.'A. TADMUR!, Tärlh al-'Antäki, al-ma'rüfbi silat tänh 'Autihä, Tripolis 1990, p. 438 (424 h.; it is not excluded that the date in Yahyä's chronicle is erroneous); ed. IGNACE KRATCHKOVSKY - Irans. FRANCOISE MICHEAU - GERARD TROUPEAU: Histoire de Yahyä ibn Sa°id d'Antioche, (Patrologia Orientalis 47, fasc. 4, no. 212), Turnhout 1997, p. 518-519 [150-151]. Ibn al-GawzI, 'Abd ar-Rahmän ibn 'All (d. 597/1201), Al-Mimtazamfi tärlh al-mulük wal-'umam, ed. Haidarabad, vols. V to X, Haidarabad 1357-1358/1938-1939; Fihrist, Haidarabad 1360/1941, vol. VHI, p. 64, 67, 69; ed. M/A. 'ATA & M.'A. 'ATA, 18 vols., Beirut 1412/1992, vol. XV, p. 222, 226f. (Rabf 1423 h., cold, afterwards an increase in prices in Mosul); Ibn al-'Atir, Kämil, IX, p. 290 (423 h.); Dahabl, Tärlh [vol. 421-440h.], ed TADMUR!, Beirut 1993, p. 21, 23 (also increase in prices in Mosul, 423 h.); Dahabl, al-'Ibarfi habar man gabar, ed. S. AL-MUHAÖGID, 5 vols., Kuwait 1960-1963, IH, p. 30 (Diphteria in Mosul); Barhebraeus, Yuhannä 'Abu 1-Farag ibn al-Tbn (d. 687-8/1289), Maktbänüt zahne — Chronicon Syriacitm, ed. and transl. E.A.T.W. BUDGE, The Chronography of Bar Hebrons, 2 vols., Amsterdam, London 1932; reprint Amsterdam 1976, p. 193 (423 h.); Ibn TagnbirdI, Gamäl ad-Dln 'Abu Bakr 'Abu 1-Mahäsin Yüsuf al- 'Atäbakl (d. 874/1470), An-Nugüm az-zähirafi mulük Misr wal-Qähira, vol. ffl, Cairo; reprint s.d., vol. IV, Cairo 1352/1933, vol. IV, p. 277 (reports tä'ün, pestilence, perhaps in comparison to the epidemic diseases of his own time); Michael Syrus (d. 596/1199), Maktbänüt zabne, ed. and transl. J.-B. CHABOT, Chronique de Michel le Syrien, 3 vols., Paris 1905., vol. DI, p. 136 (Seleucid era 1348/beginning l October 1036; perhaps an erroneous dating); Joannis Skylitzes (lst quarter of the 6lh/12* Century), Svvoyv; iawpiwv, ed. J. THURN, Synopsis Historiarum, (Corpus fontium historiae Byzantinae 5), Berlin 1973, p. 386; Joannis Zonaras (d. lst half of the 6^/12* Century), 'Ennopfi laropt&v, transl. E. TRAPP, Militärs und Höflinge im Ringen um das Kaisertum, (Byzantinische Geschichtsschreiber 16), Graz, Vienna 1986, p. 68 (p. 580f.). BIANQUIS, Damas, II, p. 503-505. Cp. Matthäus of Edessa (ö*/!^ Century), Patmowt'iwn, transl. A.E. DOSTOURIAN, Armenia and the Crusades. Tenth to Twelfth Centimes, Lanham 1993, p. 55 (famine in the Armenian year 481/beginning 27 Rabf 1423/13 March 1032). 52 BIANQUIS, Damas, II, p. 489 reads mu'aqqal (?) and emends it to mu'taqal (prison). However during razzias captives were usually taken only in order to seil them äs slaves. That makes a reading of ma'qil, fortified building, likely. For an account of the forti- fied building and the discussion about the location of the Säbian temple see S. LLOYD & W. BRICE, "Harrän", Anatolian Studies l (1951), p. 77-111, esp. p. 96. Correct Form ma'qil in the recent translation by Micheau and Troupeau (see above). 53 Yahyä, Tänh, ed. CHEIKHO, p. 265; ed. TADMURI, p. 428f.; 'AzTml, Tänh, ed. ZA'RÜR, p. 330f. paraphrases the report of Yahyä. Dimasql, Nuhba, p. 191 (424 h.), went back to the report of al-'Aziml. For a detailed discussion on the end of the Säbian Community in Har- rän and the social and political background see HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 91-93. 54 Ibn al-'Atir, Kämil, IX, p. 220; Ibn Saddäd, 'A'iäq, III, p. 46, 76. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 77.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 101 Banü Numayr and Iheir amrr äs indicated by the succession of razzias against Byzantines and Marwänids reported during the following years55. Manf ibn Sabib rebuilt the temple in Harrän after joining the rebellion of al-BasäsM and the Fätimid cause. The architectural plan of his new resi- dence has yet to be wholely reconstructed, but the magnificent entrance gate has been discovered (ill. 1). The inscription teils us about the restora- tion work of the year 451/1059-6056. One cannot exclude the possibility that Man!" also wished to represent himself äs an urban ruler in the newly recaptured ar-Raqqa. There are three reasons for suggesting this. Firstly, he established a mint in ar- Raqqa, äs proved by the aforementioned coins from the hoard. A mint serves the need of urban markets. Secondly, quite apart from any eco- nomic reasons, this is important äs the naming of a ruler on coins (sikka) is regarded äs a proof of actual rulership in medieval Islam. Thirdly, rep- resentative building activities of Manf ibn Sabib in ar-Raqqa are likely to have taken place in those years. The existence of both money and the will for representation of urban power is proven in the case of Harrän at least. The workshop and störe could be part of the beginning of restoration work in the most representative building in the old ar-Räfiqa: the congregational mosque. Used materials from the palace area were collected in order to recycle them. Several areas of the mosque were restored over the time being, but a thorough documentation is still miss- ing. So far no traces of a specific Numayrid restoration have yet been identified57. In any case, if there were any restoration activity within the mosque under Manf ibn Sabib, it was not very far advanced when it was halted without any sign of violence. The störe and workshop must have stood for quite a long time before the roof and wall finally collapsed. The building activities in Harrän and probably those in ar-Raqqa are proof that Manf did not regard cities only äs places for fiscal exploita- tion. He also wanted to present himself within the city äs an urban ruler, while maintaining his powerbase, the Banü Numayr, in the pasture. 55 HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 93f. 56 D. S. RICE, "Unique Dog Sculptures of Mediaeval Islam. Recent Discoveries in the Ancient Mesopotamian City of Harrän and Light on the Little-Known Numayrid Dynasty", The Illustrated London News 20* September 1952, p. 466f.; Inscription see RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 53-65. The literary sources however do not report any building activity by Man!'. 57 See N. HAGEN, M. al-HASSOUN & M. MEINECKE, "Die Große Moschee von ar-Räfiqa", V. DAIBER & A. BECKER (eds.), Raqqa in — Baudenkmäler und Paläste I, Mainz 2005 (forthcoming). 102 S. HEIDEMANN THE DECLINE OF THE DIMORPHIC STATE AFTER THE END OF FÄTIMID ENTEREST 'Abu 1-Härit 'Arslän al-Basäsrff took Baghdad in Du 1-Qa'da 450/Jan- uary 1059 and the name of the Fätimid caliph was included in the Friday prayer (hutba) and the coin-protocol (sikka). In spite of the obvious success of al-Basäsm, Egyptian politics changed suddenly and turned against him. This became obvious when a messenger of al-Basäsm returned empty-handed from Cairo in Gumädä II/July-August 105958. Any further support from Cairo was refused. As the failure of the whole scheme became apparent Man!' changed sides, probably because of this lack of support from Cairo. He had a valuable refugee in his custody, the three year old "Abbäsid heir apparent 'Uddat ad-Dln 'Abu 1-Qäsim al-Muqtad! bi 'Amrilläh59. After Tugrilbeg's entry into Baghdad in Du 1-Qa'da 451/December 1059 cUddat ad-Dln was secretly brought to MariT ibn Sablb in Harrän. Man!' was at the peak of his prestige and power. He made use of the eAbbäsid heir and the power-vacuum for territorial gains in the Häbür-area60. After the restoration of the 'Abbäsid caliph to Baghdad with the support of the Selgüqs, Man!' sent the caliph's grandchild back to Baghdad with much honours, though not without creating his own marriage ties with the caliphal family. He mar- ried the child to one of his daughters before he returned him. The "Abbäsid heir reached Baghdad on Tuesday, 9 Gumädä I 452/13 June 106061. MariT sent a letter to Tugrilbeg, at that time in Hamadän, in 58 Sibt ibn al-Gawzi, Mir'ät, ed. SEVIM, p. 52; transl. YAZBECK, p. 149. 59 Biography: Gumädä I 448/July-August 1056 to 487/1094. A. HARTMANN, "al-Muk- ladl", EP, VE, p. 540-541. Ibn al-Gawzi, Muntazam, ed. Haidarabad VIII, p. 291f.; ed. 'ATA, XV, p. XVH, 14; Sibt ibn al-Gawzi, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 154r (erroneous date; Thursday, 8 öumädä I 440 h.); transl. YAZBECK, p. 48; Ibn al-QalänisI, Magd ar-Ru'asä' 'Abu Ya'lä Hamza ibn 'Asad ibn 'All ibn Muhammad at-TamTmi (d. 555/1160), Dayl tänh Dimasq. ed. S. ZAKKÄR, Damascus 1403/1983, p. 206; Ibn al-'Afir, Kämil, IX, p. 435; X, p. 155f.; Ibn al-'Affr, At-Tärih al-Bähirfi d-dawla al-'atäbakiya, ed. "A.ATULAY- MÄT, Cairo 1382/1963, p. 13;"Dahabi, Siyar, XVm, p. 318-324. 60 Ibn al-'ASf, Kämil, X, p. 7. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 81. Heidemann, Renaissance, 115. 61 Flight and return of the heir apparent: Ibn al-Gawzi, Muntazam, ed. Haidarabad VIII, p. 2151 (date of the return to Baghdad), 29If. (al-MuqtadT); ed. 'ATA, XV, p. 60f., 164; Sibt ibn al-öawzT, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 154r; ed. SEVM, p. 72-74; transl. YAZBECK, p. 176-178. Ibn al-'Atfr, Kämil, X, p. 6f. (marriage with the daughter of Manf), 66f.; DahabT, Tärih [vol. 461-470h.], ed. TADMÜM, Beirut 1994, p. 29; Dahabi, Siyar, XVIII, p. 319. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 81; Th. Ripper, Die Marwäniden von Diyär Bahr. Eine kurdische Dynastie im islamischen Mittelalter, (Mitteilungen zur Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte der Islamischen Welt 6), Würzburg 2000, p. 164-166; HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 114—116.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 103 order to inform him that he had stopped the hutba and sikka for the Fätimid caliph and had now included the Selgüq sultan's and the "Abbäsid caliph's name in the protocol62. There is no evidence in the literary sources to show that Manf gained anything by this move. On the contrary, once again he became involved in the tribal quarreis between rival factions of the Mirdäsid clan. He was compelled to defend his territories that he had enlarged considerably under Fätimid patronage against the Claims of some members of the Banü Mirdäs. On the night of Thursday, 23 Gumadä II 454, that is the night between the 3 and 4 July 1062, Manf died of an epileptic fit (as- sar") without leaving any capable heir63. Without him the Banü Numayr lost much of their importance and soon feil into oblivion. The sudden change in the political Situation could provide a reason for the end of the supposed Numayrid restoration efforts. Because the works were not continued, the mosque and the workshop deteriorated, and after a while the roof and wall tumbled down. During the restoration of Nur ad-DTn Mahmud a hundred years later, the north-eastern corner was obviously not cleared up. So it was left to Michael Meinecke in 1991 to discover the workshop. CONCLUSION What can be learned from this far reaching analysis of a wall that crumbled in the middle ages? We have to go back to our starting point. Firstly, the methodological problems of the period of the "settlement gap (Siedlungslücke)" have become more evident. This period is best approached with the help of different disciplines. Secondly, it could be made likely that efforts for a restoration of the congregational mosque were undertaken. It is the second example to be found of datable construction work, apart from the citadel of Harrän, in the whole of 62 Sibt ibn al-GawzT, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 73r-v; ed. SEVIM, p. 77f. RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 81; RIPPER, Marwäniden, p. 85. For the context of this delegation cp. G. MAKDISI, "The Marriage of Tughril Beg", UMES l (1970), p. 259-275, esp. p. 266f. Such coins are not yet known. 63 Sibt ibn al-GawzI, Mir'ät, Ms. Arabe 1506, fol. 87v (exact date); 0ahabT, Tärlh [vol. 441-460h.], ed. TADMÜRI, p. 373 (Gumädä II 454 and the cause of his death). RICE, "Medieval Harrän", p. 82 suggested on the basis of the Dahabi-manuscript (British Museum Ms. Or. 50, fol. 50r) Gumädä 1455 äs the month of ManT"s death. This is prob- ably due to a reading error. In the edition of the text of Dahabl by Tadmuff no varieties are mentioned. 104 S. HEIDEMANN Diyär Mudar, during this Century of Bedouin domination. And thirdly, the presumed building activity in ar-Raqqa in this period is indicative for the political and social history of the whole region. During the 4th/10th Century the Banü Numayr moved into northern Mesopotamia äs part of the second great migration of Arab tribes. The cultivated land of settled people diminished and the routes between the villages, towns and cities became endangered. What can be learned from this new piece of Information about the Bedouin state of the Numayrids at the fringe of the Fätimid state and their relation to settlements and their attitude towards urban life? During the period of Bedouin domination the seat of rulership was transferred from the city to the tribal camp (M/a). The interest of the Bedouins lay in the fiscal exploitation of the cities. The emirate of Manf ibn Sablb constitutes a brief interlude in the development of the Banü Numayr. Manf ibn SabTb remained an exception within Numayrid history. Al- Mu'ayyad fi d-Dln, the Egyptian-Fätimid envoy, characterized Manf in the beginning äs a young savage: MariTs character consisted of the "drunkenness of infatuation and the heat of youth (sakral al-girra wa gamrat as-sabiba)"M. During the time of the rebellion of al-Basäsm in Iraq, the Fatimids integrated MariT into an alliance. By paying enormous subsidies and through skillful diplomacy, the Fatimids created political stability among the hostile tribes from northern Syria to the Euphrates valley. Then Manf ibn SabTb began to represent himself äs an urban ruler: he built the citadel in Harrän. As proof of rulership he had coins struck not only in Harrän, äs his predecessors had done, but established a mint in ar-Raqqa äs well. The evidence marshalled here also suggests that he undertook the restoration of the most representative urban build- ing in ar-Raqqa, the congregational mosque. He extended his territory into the Häbür valley. The political will of Manf was probably more decisive in this process than the supposed rieh subsidies from the Fatimids, because the Numayrids kept large amounts of portable wealth at other times, äs we know from al-QädT ar-RasId's records65. Manf ibn 64 Mu'ayyad, Slra, p. 120. 65 al-Qädl ar-RasId (d. 562/1166-7 or 563/1167-8), Kitäb ad-dahä'ir wa t-tuhaf, 2. ed., Kuwait 1984, p. 86f; transl. Gh.H. QADDUMI, A Medieval Islamic Book of Gifts and Trea- sures. Translation, Annotation and Commentary on the Kitab al-hadaya wa al-Tuhaf, Diss., Ann Arbor 1990, p. 95f.; part. transl. M. HAMIDULLAH, "Nouveaux documents sur les rapports de l'Europe avec l'Orient musulman au moyen äge", Arabica l (1959), p. 281-300, esp. p. 292f.  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 105 Sablb's rule corresponds to that type of nomadic authority which Michael Rowton calls a "dimorphic state". This constitutes a state led by a nomadic niler accommodating himself to urban forms of rulership, or at least to urban forms of projecting sovereignty but who simultane- ously maintains his power base within the pasture: a ruler who has to balance between the interests of the settled people and the demands of the nomads. These favourable conditions for the revival of urban life in the Diyär Mudar ended soon after the rebellion of al-Basäsm following the termination of Fätimid interests in the region in the year 451/1060. Or to put it another way a "dimorphic state" and growing power for rulers with a nomadic background could only be achieved in this transitional period, when the nomadic chief became a protege of one of the regions's great powers. This equally applies to the position of the Mirdäsids äs proteges of the Fätimids äs well äs of the Byzantines66, the dependence of the Banü 'Uqayl on the Büyids67, and the Subordination of the Marwänids to the Byzantines and the Büyids68. It took a another ninety years, until the time of Nur ad-DTn Mahmud ibn ZangT, before a more stable political environment emerged under a Selgüq regime which allowed the cities to be rebuilt again. STEFAN HEIDEMANN Freidrich-Schiller-Universität Jena 66 Cp. W; FELIX, Byzanz und die islamische Welt im frühen 11. Jahrhundert, Geschichte der politischen Beziehungen von 1001 bis 1055, (Byzantina Vindobonensia 14), Viennal981. 67 Cp. H. KENNEDY, "The Uqailids of Mosul, the Origins and Structure of a Nomad Dynasty", Union Europeenne d'Arabisants et d'Islamisants (ed.), Actas del XH Congreso de la U.E.A.1. (Malaga 1984), Madrid 1986, p. 391-402.; DEGENER, Emirat. 68 For the whole complex see HEIDEMANN, Renaissance, p. 32f. 106 S. HEIDEMANN 111. l Gate of the Numayrid Palace in Harran. (ex RICE, "Medieval Harran")-  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 107 111. 2 Aerial view of the congregational mosque in ar-Rafiqa from north-west. 16 June 1936 (Institut Fran9ais du Proche Orient, reproduction German Archaeological Institut (DAI), Damascus, no. 1989-39-471, P. Grunwald). , . 111. 3 Fallen wall of the north-eastern corner of the congregational mosque in ar-Räfiqa (DAI, Damascus, no. 1991/954, A. Abdel Ghafour). 10S S. HEIDEMANN 0 1 2 3 4 5 or-Raqqa,Orone Moschee-Nordostecke 111. 4 Plan of the north-eastern corner of the congregational mosque in ar-Räfiqa. (DAI, drawing Hala Attoura). 111. 5 Twisted nails from the north-eastern corner of the congregational mosque. (DAI, Damascus, no. 1991/889, A. Abdel Ghafour).  NUMAYRID AR-RAQQA 109 111. 6 Dirham 'aswad, ar-Raqqa, year 450 h. Museum ar-Raqqa (GrMo-8145). (DAI, Damascus, A. Abdel Ghafour). 111. 7 Dirham 'aswad, ar-Raqqa, year 450 h. Museum ar-Raqqa (GrMo-8146). (DAI, Damascus, A. Abdel Ghafour).  RavendeV Turbessel ASERBEIDSCHAN Räwandän Ta Manbig Antiochia/ •Intäkiya Aleppo/ . 'Ifalab Atärib Bä Qalcat Gacbar • ar-Rusäfa '^Hamäh Qasral-Hair. ar.Rahba • Salamiva as-Sarai z -Raml ~ .Jerusalem/Bait al-Maqdis Gazza • f\ Map  CONTENTS CONTENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VII Programme of the International Colloquia at the K.U.Leuven – Ninth Colloquium, May 11 & 12, 2000 . . . . . . . IX – Tenth Colloquium, May 9, 10 & 11, 2001 . . . . . . X ABBREVIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XII Fatimids 1. M. BRETT, “Population and Conversion to Islam in Egypt in the Mediaeval Period” . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. M. BRETT, “Al-Karaza al-Marqusiya. The Coptic Church in the Fatimid Empire” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 3. M. BRETT, “Badr al-Gamali and the Fatimid Renascence” . . 61 4. H. HALM, “Das ‘Buch der Schätze und Raritäten'. Zur Autor- schaft und Überlieferung des Kitab a∂-∂aÌa'ir wa t-tuÌaf” . . 79 5. S. HEIDEMANN, “Numayrid ar-Raqqa. Archaeological and Historical Evidence for a ‘Dimorphic State' in the Bedouin Dominated Fringes of the Fa†imid Empire” . . . . . . . 85 Ayyubids (& Salguqs) 6. T. K. EL-AZHARI, “The Role of Salguqid Women in Medieval Syria” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 7. T. K. EL-AZHARI, “The influence of Eunuchs in the Ayyubid Kingdom” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 8. P.-V. CLAVERIE, “Les ‘mauvais chrétiens' dans l'Orient des croisades” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 9. Y. FRENKEL, “The Chain of Traditions, or Transmitting Knowledge in Medieval Damascus, based on Sama{at Ibn al-¨Asakir” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 VI CONTENTS 10. H. HANISCH, “Die Zitadelle von Îarran” . . . . . . . 185 11. K. HIRSCHLER, “Social Contexts of Medieval Arabic Historical Writing: Court Scholars versus Ideal/Withdrawn Scholars — Ibn WaÒil and ’Abu Sama” . . . . . . . . . . . 311 12. D. PRINGLE, “The Castles of Ayla (al-‘Aqaba) in the Crusader, Ayyubid and Mamluk Periods” . . . . . . . 333 Mamluks 13. D. A. AGIUS, “‘Leave your homeland in search of prosperity’: the ostrich egg in a burial site at Quseir al-Qadim in the Mamluk period” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 14. P.-V. CLAVERIE, “L'ambassade au Caire de Philippe Mainebeuf (1291)” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 15. N. COUREAS, “Controlled Contacts: The Papacy, the Latin Church of Cyprus and Mamluk Egypt, 1250-1350” . . . . 395 16. Y. FRENKEL, “Women in Late Mamluk Damascus in the light of Audience Certificates (sama¨at)” . . . . . . . . . 409 17. C. MORISOT, “L'acte de Gaqmaq au profit de la Mekke” . . 425 18. D. S. RICHARDS, “The Office of Wilayat al-Qahira in Mamluk Times” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 19. G. SCHALLENBERGH, “Intoxication and Ecstasy. Sufi Terminol- ogy in the Work of Ibn Qayyim al-Gawziya” . . . . . 459 20. J. VAN STEENBERGEN, “Taqwim al-Buldan al-MiÒriya (C.U.L. Ms. Qq. 65). Identifying a Late Medieval Cadastral Survey of Egypt” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475 21. U. VERMEULEN, “La Tenue Protocolaire à la Cour Mamlouke” 491