Mosaic view of Gaza in the Church of St Stephen, Um ar-Rasas, Jordan. It was constructed in 756CE by the mosaics artists Stauranchius & Euremius,

Mosaic view of Gaza in the Church of St Stephen, Um ar-Rasas, Jordan. It was constructed in 756CE by the mosaics artists Stauranchius & Euremius, 120 years AFTER the Islamic conquests. 

William Dalrymple

@DalrympleWill

 

Just come across this mosaic view of Gaza in the Church of St Stephen, Um ar-Rasas, Jordan. It was constructed in 756CE by the mosaics artists Stauranchius & Euremius, 120 years AFTER the Islamic conquests. 

 

The people were still using Greek, still building churches (there are 16 in Um ar-Rasas alone). This is important evidence the continuities of population in this region, masked by changes of language and religion. 

 

The idea that the Arabs swept in and kicked out or forcibly converted the population of Palestine is unhistorical nonsense: the population of Palestine was majority Christian until the time of the Crusades. They took two hundred years to use Arabic as their main language. Six hundred to convert to Islam.

 https://x.com/DalrympleWill/status/2106702614372991396/photo/1

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