世界上最古老的清真寺遗址被发现

世界上最古老的清真寺遗址被发现

The remains of a 1,200-year-old mosque have been discovered in Israel’s Negev desert. The ancient structure is one of the earliest known mosques in the world, according to experts.

在以色列内盖夫沙漠发现了一座1200年历史的清真寺的遗迹。据专家介绍，这座古老的建筑是世界上已知最早的清真寺之一。

The building was found by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which says that the discovery is an extremely unusual one.

这座建筑是由以色列文物局发现的，该机构称这一发现极不寻常。

“A small rural mosque, dated to the 7th to 8th centuries… is a rare finding anywhere in the world, especially in the area north of [the Israeli Negev desert city of] Be’er Sheva, where no similar building has previously been discovered,” said Dr. Jon Seligman and Shahar Zur, who directed the excavation, in a statement. “From this period there are large known mosques in Jerusalem and in Mecca, but here we have evidence of an ancient house of prayer, which seems to have served the farmers who lived in the area.”

乔恩·塞利格曼博士和沙哈尔·祖尔博士在一份声明中说：“一座可以追溯到7到8世纪的、小型的乡村清真寺……这在世界任何地方都是一个罕见的发现，特别是在[以色列内盖夫沙漠城市]Be'er Sheva以北的地区，以前没有发现类似的建筑。同期起，耶路撒冷和麦加有许多著名的清真寺，但现在的证据表明，这里有一座更古老的祈祷之家，为该地区的农民服务。”

Archaeologists note that the open-air mosque features a “Mihrab,” or prayer niche, that faces south, towards Mecca. “These features are evidence for the purpose for which this building was used, many hundred years ago,” said Seligman and Zur, in the statement.

考古学家注意到，露天清真寺有一个面向麦加的“Mihrab”，即面向南的祈祷龛。塞利格曼和祖尔在声明中说:“这些特征证明了这座建筑在几百年前的用途。”

The mosque was discovered during preparations for the construction of a new neighborhood in the town of Rahat. “This is one of the earliest mosques known from the beginning of the arrival of Islam in Israel, after the Arab conquest” of 636 A.D., Prof. Gideon Avni said in a statement. “The discovery of the village and the mosque in its vicinity are a significant contribution to the study of the history of the country during this turbulent period.”

这座清真寺是在拉哈特镇准备建设一个新社区时发现的。“这是公元636年，阿拉伯人征服以色列后，伊斯兰教传入以色列时所知的最早的清真寺之一。”阿夫尼(Gideon Avni)在一份声明中说。“发现这个村庄及其附近的清真寺，对研究这个动荡时期的国家历史做出了重大贡献。”

Other remains discovered in the area include a farm that dates back to the Byzantine period in the 6th to 7th century A.D. A small settlement from the start of the Islamic period in the 7th to 8th century A.D. was also found.

在该地区还发现了其他遗迹，包括一个可以追溯到公元6世纪至7世纪拜占庭时期的农场，以及公元7世纪至8世纪伊斯兰时期开始时的一个小定居点。

Local Bedouin residents and youth from nearby towns and villages participated in the excavation project.

当地贝都因居民和附近村镇的青年参与了挖掘工程。