Al-Moghraqa

When al-Moghraqa was discovered in 1996, it was located in a mixed environment combining agricultural land and sand dunes. It covered an estimated . It was established on low-lying ground. == History ==

Archaeologists identified three phases of occupation at al-Moghraqa, all dated to the Middle Bronze Age (periods MBA IIb-c) – the early part of the 2nd millennium BC. The date was arrived at based on the artefacts discovered at the site. This period in the Levant was characterised by the development of new societal organisation, with centralised fortified settlements and satellite villages. Al-Moghraqa was inhabited at approximately the same time as Tell el-Ajjul, and the two sites were less than apart. The proximity of the two sites led the archaeologists who investigated Tell al-Moghraq to suggest that it may have been a "satellite settlement" of Tell el-Ajjul. Gaza and its surrounding area were part of the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 2nd millennium BC. The settlement was economically and militarily important, connecting Egypt to Asia. After the settlement was abandoned, the area was used agriculturally and later covered by sand dunes. == Discovery and investigation ==

Moain Sadeq, the director of the Department of Antiquities in Gaza, discovered the site in 1996. It was revealed during building works that removed sand dunes in the area. The site was surveyed as part of the Gaza Research Project in 1999, with excavations following in 2000. Subsequent investigations were planned but suspended due to the Second Intifada. The area was used agriculturally, and in late 2023, the Gaza Maritime Archaeological Project documented clearances and demolition in the locality of al-Moghraqa and Tell el-Ajjul. Artefacts recovered from al-Moghraqa were similar to funerary objects found at Tell el-Ajju,l and the archaeologists investigating al-Moghraqa suggested it could have been used as a cemetery. The survey work identified two concentrations of activity (designated Site 1 and Site 2) that most likely constituted a single site. Artefacts found at al-Moghraqa include pieces of terracotta funerary cones with stamps from the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III and Hatshepsut. While the cones are unique in the region, they are similar to cones from Egypt dated to the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Despite parallels from Egypt, the purpose of the cones is uncertain. == Bronze Age sites near Gaza ==

• Tell Gaza • Tell el-Ajjul • Tell es-Sakan • Deir al-Balah • Tall Rīdān • Tell Muntar • Tall as Sanām == See also ==