The Market Street at Apollonia-Arsuf

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In excavations at Apollonia-Arsuf in 1977 a complex of structures on both sides of a narrow (2.5 m wide) and long (at least 65 m) street was exposed. The street had served as a market street (sfiq) during the entire Early Arab period, from the 7th to the 11th century A.D. During this time the structures were renovated and partly rebuilt, while the street itself was repaved eight times. The article deals with Strata VII- V only. Stratum VII demonstrates overall urban planning attributed to the time of Abd al-Malik, involving the construction, on both sides of the street, of typical shoplike structures which were apparently used as food stalls and shops. In Strata VI and V the structures were subdivided into smaller units. Market streets of this type, dating from the Roman Crusader and Ottoman periods, have been excavated and surveyed at a number of sites in Israel. This is the first example of a market street (sfq) of the Early Arab period to be accurately published.