Zimni-Gitler in Lichtenberger and Raja (2025:167-168) reports that excavations by the DEI project on the southern slope of Mount Zion uncovered Byzantine and Umayyad period domestic architecture destroyed by a violent event in the mid-eighth century CE.

In Room B, a thick destruction layer filled the entire 5 × 6 m space, containing fallen building stones, collapsed vaulting elements , roof tiles, wall plaster, tesserae, ceramic pipes, and abundant charcoal indicating burning. The debris lay in situ beneath an Early Islamic water-channel, showing that the destruction preceded later industrial reuse. Nearby Wall 10070 was warped and crooked, a typical sign of seismic deformation.

Pottery recovered from the destruction layer dates to the Umayyad period and ends prior to the Abbasid phase, while a radiocarbon sample from the entrance to the underlying cistern indicates occupation continuing into the early eighth century CE. Zimni-Gitler in Lichtenberger and Raja (2025: 167–168) argues that these chronological markers rule out association with the Persian (614 CE) and Muslim (638 CE) conquests, instead attributing the destruction to the AD 749 earthquake. However, this interpretation overlooks the potential relevance of the 659/660 Jordan Valley earthquakes.

Following the quake, the quarter was abandoned and repurposed as an industrial zone dominated by a lime-kiln built across the ruined rooms. Room A shows associated architectural adjustments—raising of the floor and cistern entrance—consistent with post-earthquake rebuilding efforts that mark the end of residential use on this part of Mount Zion.