General Information
Early Islamic Cream Wares (ICW), also known as Early Islamic Unglazed Buff Wares, are a large, long-lived ware family with multiple production centers, and three main sub-types. All vessels are characterized by a semi-fine to fine sandy fabric made from calcareous clays, which give them a characteristic light color – cream, pale yellow, or occasionally pinkish brown – and powdery surface texture (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 2). The most common forms are necked jars, pinched spout jugs, and narrow necked vessels known as pilgrim flasks , which were designed for the transport and consumption of liquids (e.g., water, oil or wine) by travelling pilgrims. Distinctive morphological features include handles with applied "turban" decorations and neck filters.
The Jordan/Palestine family of Early Islamic Cream Wares can be divided into three groups:
- ICW A: This group includes plain vessels with incised decorations, generally wavy lines. The fabric is coarser and of poorer quality than the other groups. Some ICW A vessel forms continue those of the previous Byzantine period. ICW A is therefore considered to be the earliest group, representing a transition from earlier shapes and manufacturing techniques.
- ICW B: Vessels of this group have a relatively fine fabric, and comprise mostly closed forms such as jars, jugs, and pitchers. Decoration is a key feature, created through incising, gouging, stamping, barbotine application, or a combination of these techniques. The patterns range from geometric and floral motifs to calligraphic and pseudo calligraphic themes.
- ICW C: Known as molded ware and often called "Mafjar ware." Vessels carry applied relief decoration usually executed in a single mold, giving the surface a three dimensional quality. These decorations distinguish ICW C from the plain surfaces or incised wavy lines of ICW A and the finer incised designs of ICW B (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 2).
Chronology: ICW is a key chronological indicator for the Abbasid and early Fatimid periods, spanning the mid-8th to the 11th centuries. Some precursor types may have appeared in the early 8th or even late 7th century; and ICW C continues into the 13th century (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 2).
Production locales: ICW was produced at Tabariyya and Ramla in Palestine, where a manufacturing mold was discovered. Archaeometric analyses also suggest production centers in the northern Negev desert and the Ghor es-Safi region of southern Jordan. Additionally, Mahesh Ware, sometimes considered a variant of ICW A, was likely produced at Ayla (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 4).
Distribution: ICW is widespread across the southernmost portions of Bilad al-Sham, the large province formed under the first Islamic caliphate of the Umayyads. Vessels appear in all settings, from major urban centers to small rural villages and even ephemeral reoccupation sites, indicating that it was both easily accessible and widely desirable. ICW A is slightly more frequent in rural settings, while the more elaborate ICW B and C vessels are more characteristic of urban sites. This pattern suggests a potential preference for decorated wares in cities (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 5).
The extensive geographical spread deriving from just a few major production centers suggests a new, broadly integrated economic system across the province, one likely tied to pilgrimage (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 2, 8). In addition, the wide popularity especially of ICW B and C reflects a newly embraced common aesthetic, featuring abstract, geometric, and calligraphic motifs. Mass production techniques such as molding facilitated production and dissemination. In sum, the sudden appearance and sustained popularity of Islamic Cream Ware may be seen as a material reflection of the Islamic conquest itself, along with the prolonged cultural stability of the early Islamic caliphates (Makowski and Chyla 2024; 8).
Unglazed buff/cream wares are a very broad class that appear across the Levant immediately after the Moslem Conquest. For a northern Levantine version, see Early Islamic Unglazed Buff Wares - Syria.
* This description was written by Claudia Servin Rosas, as part of a project for a course at Boston University in Fall 2025: AR 590, Life Is A Bowl, taught by Professor Andrea M. Berlin.
Description
