Rare ancient mosque discovered in Negev desert by Israeli archeologists

Israeli archaeologists on Wednesday unveiled a rare ancient mosque in the country's south that the antiquities officials said sheds light on the region's transition from Christianity to Islam.

The remains of the mosque, believed to be more than 1,200 years old, were discovered during construction of a neighborhood in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the Israel Antiquities Authority said in a statement.

The mosque, in the Negev desert, contains "a square room and a wall facing the direction of Mecca" with a half-circle niche in that wall pointing south, the IAA said.