Raqqa ware

[1] Though the ceramics were varied in character, they have been identified during the 20th century by on-site excavations that securely linked the highly sought-after surviving pieces to Raqqa.

[3] The pieces typically have a white body covered in siliceous glaze, with decorations in brown luster or blue and back underglaze.

[1] Raqqa ware typically consists of kitchen items such as jars, dishes, and bowls with basic shapes that served everyday purposes such as storage.

[6][10] "Raqqa ware" has thus become a term referring to an overarching group of ceramics that fall into the same stylistic category, but does not necessarily indicate a Raqqan origin, as works have been found along the Euphrates River, throughout Southern Anatolia, Syria and Egypt.

[3][8][11] Marilyn Jenkins-Madina and other scholars attribute the beginning of this confusion about Raqqa Ware to "Orientalism", the late 19th and early 20th century European fascination with the Middle East.

[6][13] Art associated with One Thousand and One Nights, such as the ceramics found in Raqqa, the site of the principal palace of Harun al-Rashid, an Abbasid Caliph and prominent figure in the novel, were particularly easy to market to Western consumers.

[20] There are many reports of both locals and Circassians looting the cite, conducting illegal excavations, and openly selling the unearthed materials to tourists.

[22] As a byproduct of this illegal trade, many objects originally sold to tourists and now housed in private collections and museums today have vague provenances that lack documentation.