Assyrian Building 1

Assyrian Building 1

View of the interior of one of the buildings that date to the Assyrian Period (7th century B.C.).  Note the mud–brick walls that were covered with a mud coating.  The doorway is about 5 ft. high (at the most).  Note especially, in the upper left of the image, the beginning of the mud–brick voussoirs of the very early mud–brick vault!   See below.

The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land states that this ". . . is one of the most remarkable structures ever found in Israel because it preserves vaulted mud-brick ceilings that were erected with keystone-shaped bricks, or voussoirs, marking the earliest known use of voussoirs in world architecture" (p. 670).

Unfortunately the protective sheet metal roof was ripped off, by winds, and all of these structures have been destroyed as they have been exposed to the rains.