Failaka, Survey Project (Kuwait)
Dates of work: 7 February – 3 April 2012
Team:
General Project Director: Prof. Piotr Bieliński (PCMA UW)
Field directors: Dr. Franciszek Pawlicki, archaeologist (PCMA UW), Dr. Hamed Al-Mutairi (Excavation and Surveying Sector, Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters)
Kuwait representatives: Talaal el-Saei (National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters)
Archaeologists: Dr. Agnieszka Pieńkowska (PCMA UW), Dr. Karol Juchniewicz (independent), Mateusz Banaś (student, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw)
Surveyors and topographers: Piotr Zakrzewski, Sebastian Skubisz, Ireneusz Nazaruk (all freelance)
An extensive archaeological prospection along the coasts of Failaka recorded over 180 sites, different stone structures, surface pottery assemblages, farms and enclosures. These were registered, documented and mapped. Stone by stone plans were drawn up of a number of substantial structures that were cleaned and some general observations were made. All prospected and cleaned structures proved to be built of local ashlar sandstone straight on solid ground or bedrock. All kinds of mortar and plaster was used for building construction. Flat stones of similar dimensions were carefully selected. Buildings were neatly designed with entrances always in the middle of the front wall. Archaeological sites of Al-Sabbahiya, Um al-Dakhan, Matitah, Kharaib el-Desht with a density of different historical structures dating from the mid- and late Islamic period are found in the southern regions of Failaka Island.
[Text: Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 24/1]