Reevaluating Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery: New insights into continuities in early Islamic ceramics

AMMAN — In the past it was thought that Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery was completely different from preceding Early Islamic pottery because of changes in manufacture and decoration. 

Recently, scholars understood that some of these changes were out-growths of the preceding period. Brown said that there is enough current evidence to suggest radical change that characterise Ayyubid-Mamluk assemblages can in fact be traced to development within the Early Islamic period.

Some of the sites currently associated with the Late Islamic period pottery culture in Transjordan include: Ajloun, Al-Lajiua Al Rujurn Al Wuayra, Amman, Aqaba, 'Arair Caro'er,) Busrq Dayr' Allg Dhiban (Dibon), Fayfatr (Feifeh), Iraq Al Amir, Jerash, Khirbat Farys, Listib, Madaba Maqabalayn, Qalat Al Rabad, Abila, and many more.

The pottery of the Ayyubid-Mamluk period was distinguished by a high percentage of handmade vessel forms and by a proliferation of painted geometric decorations, said historian Philip R. Drey, adding that this trend began in 11th and 12th centuries during Fatimid dynasty and Crusaders.

"From the Hellenistic through the Early Islamic periods the dichotomy between wheel-thrown vessels, which constituted the majority of ceramics and hand-made vessels was primarily functional. Large vats, basins, and storage jars tended to be hand-constructed, while virtually all other household ceramics were wheel-thrown," Drey underlined.

The historian added that during the Ayyubid -Mamluk period this coexistence of wheel-thrown and hand -constructed ceramics continued, yet there were changes in both the proportion and kinds of vessels manufactured with these techniques.

In contrast to the previously established trend handmade pottery heavily dominated Ayyubid-Mamluk assemblages, while wheel-thrown wares play a much lesser role. Further contrast is emphasised by the fact that the same general repertoire of forms was produced by both technologies.

"Thus, by the inception of the l3th century, the association between manufacturing techniques and specific vessel forms, which had long characterised ceramic vessel manufacture in southern Levant, is no longer evident," Drey said. 

The pottery assemblage of the Ayyubid-Mamluk period can best be described by first dividing the corpus into wheel made and handmade technologies (and in some cases, mold made), then continuing with further description as done in the previous period characterisations.

"Four types of wheel made wares have been identified: glazed ware, plain ware,  plain industrial ware and Sgraffito ware," Drey said, noting that wheel made ware colours included light-coloured wares, mostly buffor pink tones, and red wares.

The hard, thin, red, glaze-covered Sgraffito ware included designs carved through a light slip into the darker clay surface below.

A large percentage of Ayyubid-Mamluk vessels were handmade, sometimes using pieces of cloth in the production process. Rudimentary construction techniques included coiling and partial use of rotational devices. Modelling with clay slabs was more a common technique, especially in making painted closed forms, Drey underlined.

"In general, firing quality during the Ayyubid-Mamluk period was medium. Cores sometimes occurred. Glazed ware vessels were evenly fired," Drey said, noting that the firing of handmade vessels varied widely: some poor and some excellent, but the majority were well fired although a core was sometimes present.

“Due to changes in manufacturing technique as well as surface treatment, on close examination much of the Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery looked very different from that of the preceding period,” Drey underlined.