|
POTTERY OF THE ISLAMIC PERIOD ON THE
KARAK PLATEAU Middle Islamic Pottery
(twelfth-fourteenth century) The Middle
Islamic period on the Karak plateau covers the periods of
Crusader, Ayyubid and early Mamluk rule. Such dynastic
labels are not, however, very useful when looking at the types
of pottery found on most of the sites in the region because
there is no evidence that the styles of pottery used by the
inhabitants of the small towns and villages that covered the
plateau changed as the result of larger political developments.
For instance, it is known that the Crusader settlements on the
coast in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries manufactured a
wide variety of decorated lead-glazed pottery, as well as making
use of pottery imported from Italy, Cyprus and the lands around
the Aegean sea. Despite the fact that the Crusaders controlled
most of southern Jordan between c.1116 and 1188-89, there is
very little evidence from excavations and field surveys that
they imported pottery from the Palestine coast into Jordan.
Apart from a few possible examples of Crusader pottery from
Palestine castles such as Karak, Shawbak and Wu`ayra (near
Petra), we must assume that the Crusader population made use of
pottery made in Jordan. As a result, we should be cautious of
assigning labels such as “Ayyubid” or “Mamluk” to pottery; it is
preferable to seek to date the pieces according to the century
or, if possible, decades in which they are known to have been
manufactured.
 The pottery found on the Karak
plateau in the Middle Islamic can be divided into several broad
categories according to the technologies used in their
manufacture. First are handmade vessels (see: the emergence of
handmade pottery in the Middle Islamic period) which would have
been made principally in villages for local use. Handmade sherds
are the most common types of Middle Islamic pottery finds on
excavations and field surveys of the plateau. Second is wheel
thrown unglazed pottery. As with the Early Islamic period, wheel
thrown unglazed pottery was made using different levels of
technological sophistication and to perform a wide range of
functions. Middle Islamic wheel thrown unglazed vessels include
medium-sized water jugs (known in Arabic as ibrīqs), basins,
bowls and, lastly, large storage vessels that might have held
valuable products such as olive oil, grape syrup or wine. The
form of the Middle Islamic ibrīq is still manufactured
in Jordan today, illustrating how well the vessel design
performs its basic function of storing and cooling water. A
final type of unglazed storage vessel found at Karak castle and
a few other places on the plateau is the sugar pot
[
Photo].
These conical vessels were used in the production of sugar in
the Dead Sea valley. The vessel would have the small
hole at the bottom stoppered and then was filled with boiled
sugar syrup. The syrup was then allowed to cool and crystallize
into sugar (a conical mound known as a “sugar loaf”). Once this
was done the stopper was removed and the remaining liquid (the
molasses) was poured off into a separate container. Sugar was an
expensive commodity and the finds of sugar pots in the castle
reflect the high status and wealth of many of the occupants
during the Middle Islamic period.
 Glazed
pottery was generally more expensive than unglazed because it
required a larger range of raw materials and greater skill to
produce. Although some simple glazed pottery appears to have
been produced at Karak, the majority of it was exported onto the
plateau from production centers at the south end of the Dead
Sea, and the towns and cities of Palestine and Syria. Different
grades of glazed pottery were produced in the Middle Islamic
period. At the lowest level are the monochrome lead-glazed bowls
and jars that are found in large numbers at Karak, and in
smaller numbers elsewhere. Produced between the twelfth and the
fifteenth century, such vessels would have been used for the
serving or storage of food and drink. Lead-glazed pottery might
also be decorated with incisions under the glaze (known as “sgraffito”)
or relief-molded decoration.
 The best
quality of Islamic pottery in this period is made with a
material known as stone paste (for an explanation, see:
glossary). This white paste – originally made to imitate the
visual qualities of Chinese porcelain – would usually be painted
with patterns (usually in blue and black pigments) and then
covered with a transparent glaze that could be either colorless
or tinted green, turquoise or blue. This type of pottery was
made at several centers in Syria during the Middle Islamic
period. Vessels include bowls, cups and jugs, as well as small
storage vessels that were used for the storage and transport of
luxury products like preserved fruit, ginger and medicines. Some very fine examples of stonepaste pottery of the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries have been found at Karak
castle, and much smaller quantities come from settlements near
the main route through the region, the King’s Highway. At the
top of the scale were the glazed ceramics imported from China.
Chinese pottery was much prized all through the Islamic period
for its elegant shapes, decoration and, above all, the strength
of the porcelain clay from which it was made. The cost of a
Chinese bowl far exceeded that of even the finest vessels
produced in Syria, and so only the most wealthy in society could
afford them. The only site on the plateau to contain examples of
Chinese pottery is Karak castle.
|
