Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 March 2015
Our knowledge of rural settlement in Jordan during the Islamic periods is strongly coloured by perceptions about the relationship between the ‘Desert’ and the ‘Sown’, between ‘nomad’ and ‘farmer’. This has affected interpretations regarding settlement pattern and economy. In addition, there have been methodological problems in collecting the data relevant to these interpretations. An alternative to this polarised model is suggested and used to interpret the settlement history of Khirbat Faris, more particularly its architecture.