Najjar (1989) identified two destruction levels in Area IV at al-Muwaqqar. The second destruction, possibly caused by an earthquake, is believed to have led to the site’s abandonment, which Najjar (1989) dates to the later 9th century CE. Najjar (1989:309) acknowledges that the pottery dating does not rely on coins but rather on comparative architectural and typological evidence, although some stratified deposits yielded diagnostic material, including a small glazed jar and typical Abbasid lamps. Abbasid pottery, recovered below the upper (second) destruction level, was dated to between 730 and 840 CE.