In recent months a number of areas were excavated at the site of Zerafin (Sarafan al-‘Amar), west of Ramla. During the excavation a considerable amount of information was gleaned about the history of the village that was situated on the site, beginning from the Byzantine period until the War of Independence.
In the lecture the preliminary conclusions concerning the settlement history at Zerafin will be presented based on the finds from the field, together with historical sources.
The great importance of the site to the study of settlement in the Middle Ages and Modern Era stems from it having been a way-station along the main road that led from Jaffa to Jerusalem by way of Ramla. In addition, an Umayyad stratum was identified at the site which rarely appears in the excavations in the Ramla region.