Archaeologists uncover multi-period sanctuary at Khirbat Balu'a in Karak

AMMAN — A team of archaeologists has uncovered a multi-period sanctuary at Khirbat Balu'a, a significant archaeological site perched on the northern edge of the central Moabite Plateau, east of the Dead Sea near Karak.

The site, one of the largest in the region, spans approximately 12,500 square metres and features remains from both the Iron Age and the Mamluk period (1250–1517). Massive Iron Age structures dominate the landscape, indicating the site's prominent role during that era.

Friedbert  Ninow from Theologische Hochschule Friedensau in Germany, who has led a research project at Khirbat Balu'a since 2008, said the latest excavations focus on the site's full occupational history rather than solely the Iron Age layers explored in earlier studies.

Excavation efforts were guided by signs of illicit digging east of a monumental Iron Age structure known as the quseir. Surface finds included Nabataean-Roman pottery sherds and exposed architectural features.

"Excavation revealed a stone structure that has been tentatively interpreted as an altar," Ninow said. In its earliest phase, the altar was a plaster-coated stone quadrangle measuring roughly 3.2 metres per side. It was later expanded and modified, with plaster-covered hewn stones and fill of fieldstones. Some plaster fragments bore traces of colour.

In a subsequent construction phase, a stairway was added to the altar's northern side and a small podium built in front of the western wall. Ashes and bones found nearby suggest ritual use.

Based on associated pottery, archaeologists date the structure to the Nabataean-Roman period. Similar altars have been found at Petra, Khirbet et-Tannur and other Nabataean sites.

Near the podium, researchers uncovered a basalt sculpture of a figure standing on a pedestal. Though only the feet remain, the piece is believed to have originally stood 70–80 centimetres tall. Stylistic analysis suggests an Iron Age origin, making it a rare example of Moabite stone sculpture.

A carved basalt stone embedded in the southern end of the podium may also be of Iron Age origin. “It resembles volute capitals from Khirbat Al Mudaybi, about 40 kilometres south of Balu'a, dated to the late 8th or early 7th centuries BC,” said Ninow.

He added that the altar may have been part of a larger temenos — a sacred enclosure — stretching eastward. The area included a floor of large, flat stones and was bounded by walls likely dating to the Iron Age.

A test probe at the south-eastern corner of the site revealed a stone floor and pottery consistent with the Nabataean-Roman period. This suggests the Nabataeans may have repurposed older Iron Age structures to construct their sanctuary.

“If our interpretation of the altar and temenos is correct, this would represent a second Nabataean sanctuary at Balu'a, alongside the one located at Al Qasr to the west,” Ninow said.