During the Islamic period, Baalbek was an important urban centre, located on a major
road connecting the Northern to the Southern regions of Bilad al-Sham, and situated
within the rich and flourishing environment of the Beqaa Valley.1 Besides the focus
on the classical past of the city of Baalbek, more recent archaeological studies have
been devoted to the history of the site during the Islamic period, focusing on urban
development, numismatic evidence, and ceramic assemblage. Moreover, a newly-risen
attention to the archaeological landscape of the whole Beqaa Valley seeks to understand
the settlement history of the region in a larger chronological perspective.
This paper discusses the preliminary picture emerging from the available archaeological
documentation and focuses in particular on data from the study of ceramic
assemblages found in different areas of the city of Baalbek. It aims to highlight the role
of this site in the extremely rich region of the Beqaa Valley during the Islamic period,
with a particular focus on the nature of its occupation during the Middle Islamic period
(11th-15th century). The paper will present the achieved results of the various field
works and reconsider the available literature, but it will also discuss the limits of the
archaeological research until now and will address the expected future directions of
investigation for a better understanding of the human settlement of this region during
the entire Islamic period.
