A short note on some Arabic inscriptions recording seismic effects in the Mediterranean area 472 H./1079 A.D. - 703 H./1303-1304 A.D.

Abstract

The research was carried out withiin the framework of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica projects aimed at investigating Mediterranean seismicity from 11th to 15th century. The screening of the epigraphical texts was performed on 8000 inscriptions of the Arab Mediterranean area. The scant amount of inscriptions directly relating to seismic events, 5 in alI, is due to the nature of the epigraphic genre itself: almost invariably, the commemorative texts in the inscriptions do not yield more precise information on seismic events, even recording collapses or restorations. In a further phase of research and anaIysis such information wilI be correlated with that contained in other written sources. The earthquakes explicitly mentioned in the inscriptions examined here are already known through other sources, but this speciaI evidence more accurately pinpoints destructive effects on both specific sites and particular buildings.