The Jeddah Historic District Program announced in a press release issued today the discovery of two ebony pillars in Othman bin Affan Mosque.
The pillars most likely date to the 1st-2nd century AH (7th-8th century AD), making them the two oldest artefacts discovered at the site so far.
The release said archaeologists found the two octagonal ebony pillars after removing the modern wooden panels from the mosque's mihrab during excavations.
According to laboratory analysis, the artefacts probably date to the 1st-2nd century AH (7th-8th century AD).
The two pillars were moved up along with the floor from an older architectural phase of the mosque, and were thought to originally decorate the lowest level of the mihrab.
Archaeological studies conducted at the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin have shown that the two ebony pillars were made of the finest type of rare ebony wood from Ceylon, located in the Indian Ocean, according to the release.
More than 250 other wooden samples from 52 historic buildings were transported to be studied in specialized international laboratories to determine their origin and age.
The mosque's architectural phases, discovered until now, are from seven phases. While the mosque is still being studied, preliminary results suggest that the oldest excavated part of the mosque dates to the 3rd-5th century AH (9th-11th century AD).
The Archeology Project in Historic Jeddah was launched in the month of Jumada I, 1441 AH (January 2020).
The project began by preparing exploratory studies and conducting a geophysical survey to reveal archaeological remains underground in four historical sites: Othman bin Affan Mosque, Al-Shona, a segment of the Northern Wall, and Al-Kidwah.
