Early Islamic Kūfa in context: A chronological reinterpretation of the palace, with a note on the development of the monumental language of the early muslim élite

The origin of the congregational mosque–dār al-imāra combination—despite wide acknowledgement of its symbolic importance and spread in early Islamic urbanism—has until now been considered the mere result of a measure to protect public treasure implemented in Kūfa at a very early date (638) as a consequence of a burglary. A critical analysis of literary sources, combined with a systematic review of the available archaeological evidence, has made it possible to confute this traditional view in favour of a new dating for the emergence of the first Kūfan dār al-imāra and its architectural development, as well as its direct connection with the congregational mosque, suggesting interesting insights pertaining to the monumental propaganda promoted by the ruling élite in the Umayyad era.