DEKALB, Ill., July 30 (UPI) -- U.S. archaeologists working at a dig in Sicily have uncovered what is believed to be the ruins of a 9th or 10th century medieval mosque.
The discovery was made by Northern Illinois University graduate student Bill Balco at an archaeological dig adjacent to an ancient castle in west-central Sicily.
The dig site has revealed a long history dating to the 6th century B.C. But the surprising mosque discovery came in June with the uncovering of the base of an ancient column.
Balco, who will graduate from NIU in August, was a member of a team led by archaeology Professor Michael Kolb.
"(The structure) would seem to approach the dimensions of another early mosque in a nearby town that was 10-by-20 meters and also had a single column, but our structure is more elaborate because it uses a high quality gypsum plaster," Kolb said in a release.
"Also, the structure's southeast orientation fits that of a mosque, facing Mecca, and it was quickly destroyed during the Christian-Norman period," he added. "Still, the only way to be 100 percent conclusive would be to find the apse, which we hope to search for in future expeditions."
