Investigating Urban Space, Trade, and Daily Life at Al Baleed (ancient Zafar): Archaeology and Heritage Valorisation

The archaeological site of Al-Baleed (ancient Ẓafar), located in the Dhofar region of southern Oman, is one of the most important Islamic port cities of the Indian Ocean. Since 2021, the University of Naples L’Orientale has been conducting research at the site in collaboration with the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, with the aim of understanding of its urban development, economic role, and long-term occupation within the broader framework of Islamic settlement in southern Arabia. As a major hub along the maritime routes of the Indian Ocean, Al-Baleed offers a privileged perspective on long-distance commercial networks linking southern Arabia with other Islamic lands, the Indian subcontinent and China. Archaeological evidence allows the reconstruction of the urban settlement, as well as patterns of exchange, circulation of goods, and economic strategies typical of a medieval port city, highlighting its central role within regional and interregional trade systems. After addressing these broader commercial dynamics, the research has progressively shifted towards the investigation of everyday life practices. Recent excavations have brought to light religious and productive spaces that provide insight into how the city functioned on a daily basis. In particular, contexts related to food preparation and consumption shed light on diet, subsistence strategies, and shared practices within the urban community. These data also open new avenues for exploring social and communal behaviours, including shared meals, coffee drinking, shisha use, and betel chewing, as integral components of daily life in a cosmopolitan port environment. Alongside research activities, the project places strong emphasis on heritage valorisation. One of the main challenges lies in communicating the complexity of Al-Baleed in an effective and meaningful way, capable of conveying both its role within Indian Ocean trade networks and the lived experiences of its inhabitants. Digital documentation, interpretative tools, and narrative strategies are therefore conceived as core components of the project, essential for presenting the site’s history in a coherent and engaging manner.

Presenters: _:n638