Rescue excavations uncover a Moorish burial place on the outskirts of Laarache

According to the National Institute of Archaeology and History, during rescue excavations in the Laarache suburbs in February, artifacts from an archaeological dig that predates the Roman occupation by more than 2,000 years and corresponds to the Moorish era were discovered.

According to a press release from the Institute, “as part of the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication’s concern to detect and protect the national archaeological heritage,” The National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage, working with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage, started urgent and rescue excavations from February 10 to February 17, 2023, as a result of information received from the prefecture of the Lexus archaeological site regarding the dredging of an archaeological sites site in the village of Ksirissi (on the outskirts of Laarache) that revealed archaeological remains.

According to the same source, these hastily conducted excavations by professors Abdelaziz Khiari and Ammar Akraz allowed them to discover the remains of an ancient archaeological block that dates back to the Moorish era, which preceded the Roman occupation and was more than 2,000 years old. They also highlighted the fact that the burial was discovered to have received special attention in its walls. It was covered by a substantial two-meter-long piece of stone. He piled on top of him a big, high pile of sandy dirt, about three meters high and 20 meters in diameter before it was dredged, protecting and exaggerating it.

The author added that beneath this gravesite had been found incomplete bone remains of a body that appeared to have been partially burned before burial, a funeral ritual that was first recorded in the Laarache region. The remains of the treasure trove are especially significant because they contain his personal items, an iron knife blade and a distinctive axe made of the same metal.

The Institute emphasized that “these data provided by urgent excavations will contribute to enriching our knowledge of funeral practices and religious beliefs that were in circulation within the village community of the Lixus during the Moorish era of the eighth century BC ‘ to 40 CE “.

“Preventive procedures were made in consultation with the landowner, who noted his participation, once the excavations were finished in order to conserve and maintain the discovered tomb pending conditions for the restoration of some of its portions,” the communication’s conclusion read.

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