Publication Date
After the third/fourth century
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;it;Mon01;13;ar
Library Location
Salemi, Italy
Date
After the third/fourth century
Notes
The neighborhood is called Rabat; It is characterized by its narrow, winding roads that end with houses or high stairs. We distinguish three types of roads: streets, which are (main roads), paths, which are (roads that branch off from the main road), and alleys, which are (closed roads), and people still call them by this name. These houses were built on the edges of a plateau. Each house consists of two or three floors, and is square or rectangular in shape. Each floor contains one or two rooms, and is independent from the other floors. It is ascended by an external staircase called the “Nat.” Some houses often had a second, rear entrance that was higher than the first. Each house had an upper opening that served as a window that provided light and air to the stable. The windows on the upper floors are distinguished by their protrusion resulting from wide masonry. The outer walls are very wide and made of stone covered with a layer of clay. The windows of these houses are small and few, and the roofs are built of stone pieces in an inclined manner. This neighborhood was inhabited by its Muslim Arab founders and then the Jews. It is outside the ancient walls of the city of Salemi. As for the name of the city, it is of Arabic origin, and it means Peace or Suleiman, and he is the son of the leader Ibn al-Furat, a hero who was martyred during the conquests. Salmi enjoyed military and economic power during the Norman era, and in the first half of the twelfth century Al-Idrisi called it the Hump, and described it by saying: “It is a densely populated meadow, rich in its trees, the sweetness of its water, and the abundance of its resources.”
Sample Text
Pier Paolo Racioppi "Arab Quarter" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;it;Mon01;13;ar
