Al-Rabadha

Al-Rabatha (Arabic الربذة) 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. The archaeological excavations directed by the King Saud University, have shown that, Al-Rabadha yields important information for the early phases of Islamic culture.[1][2] The town is also known as the place Abu Dharr al-Ghifari spent his last years and died at.

The excavations at Al-Rabadha give a good insight into urban housing in the Early Islamic Period. The site is dominated by a palace structure, consisting of 13 rooms all with doors opening on a central courtyard.[3] 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.[4] A more typical house from the site is similar in its design, but smaller in area, with divided rooms averaging 3x2m.[5] In contrast with Western Europe, timber is not used in construction, with all houses being made from sun-dried mud brick, with stone foundations.