Lepaon et al. (2018:479–481) report that an early Islamic room was constructed in Area M directly atop a 30–50 cm-thick soil layer covering Roman pavement, demonstrating that it post-dated the destruction and demolition of the earlier “ancient monument.” Its walls were built of spolia — fallen Roman architectural elements such as entablature blocks and column drums — which had collapsed in place, presumably during an earlier earthquake. The early Islamic walls subsequently collapsed again during another earthquake. The excavators proposed either the 551 CE Beirut Quake or, more likely, one of the mid-8th century CE earthquakes as the responsible event.

No roofing material or skeletal remains were recovered and following this collapse, Lepaon et al. (2018:481–482) suggest that selective stone-robbing occurred. A “greyish layer of soil, mixed with ashes and lime,” found underneath the destruction layer and extending across the entire area of excavation led the excavators to conclude that the area had already been abandoned prior to seismic destruction. A coin indicated that abandonment and earthquake damage took place after 642 CE. Beneath the presumed mid-8th century destruction layer, the excavators also found a deposit of smashed sculptures lying “on the rubble above the limestone pavement of room M,” apparently collected for burning to produce lime for construction (Lepaon et al., 2018:482). They concluded that “the hoard of marble statuary… was definitely destined for destruction by firing, certainly under the auspices of fundamentalist religious (Christian?) iconoclasts.” This activity could indicate a later terminus post quem for the construction and later destruction of the early Islamic room, since the first Christian iconoclast period began around 730 CE (Wikipedia).