Al-Rabadha

Al-Rabadha is a settlement in Saudi Arabia located some 200 km to the north-east of Medina on the pilgrim route from Kufa to Mecca, known as Darb Zubaydah [1]. The archaeological excavations directed by King Saud University have shown that Al-Rabadha yields important information for the early phases of Islamic culture [1]. The town is also known as the place where Abu Dharr al-Ghifari spent his last years and died [1]. The excavations at Al-Rabadha give a good insight into urban housing in the Early Islamic Period [1]. The site is dominated by a palace structure, consisting of 13 rooms all with doors opening on a central courtyard [1]. Each room is likely to have served a different purpose, with evidence for ovens, grain storage and a furnace for glass-making found in separate areas [1]. A more typical house from the site is similar in its design, but smaller in area, with divided rooms averaging 3x2m [1]. In contrast with Western Europe, timber is not used in construction, with all houses being made from sun-dried mud brick and having stone foundations [1].