Baedeker's Historical PalestineJul 22 '00 Write an essay on this topic.As a confirmed bibliophile, I find that several volumes housed in my home library do not fit comfortably into any of the categories established by Epinions. These include a number of works that I regard as valuable "guides" when traveling abroad. One such book that serves particularly well as a supplemental guide for Israel and the Palestinian Territories is Baedeker's Historical Palestine: Handbook for Travellers, published in 1985 as a facsimile edition excerpted from Baedeker's 1912 printing of Palestine and Syria. As a historian, I find that this volume, which necessarily focuses on the past rather than the present, provides an excellent complement to more recently published travel guides. Why would I want a travel guide that is so many years out of date? Because much of the joy I take from travel involves understanding why and how the places I visit came to be as they are. Finding these answers requires delving into the past. Such an approach is particularly important when exploring Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Here, nearly everyone you encounter will have an active interest--not to mention a number of firmly held opinions--regarding the history of the region. Decades of conflict and posturing have produced vastly differing accounts of who has a legitimate claim to each and every scrap of land. In reality, the justifications that support these claims are usually multiple and overlapping between the claimants. The Middle East, it seems, has no shortage of "legitimate" heirs. Baedeker's Historical Palestine demonstrates that for most of the modern era "Palestine"--as the entire region was called in 1912--was little more than a backwater, with Jerusalem serving as a remote outpost of the Ottoman Empire. The demographic information included in Baedeker's makes it clear that until the latter part of the 19th century, the overall population of the region was relatively small--whether that population was counted as Jewish, Moslem, or Christian. From the latter decades of the 19th century and into the 20th, immigrants arrived in increasingly large numbers. European immigrants, mostly Jews, brought new technologies and new techniques to the region, which in turn increased the land's capacity to sustain a larger population. Consequently, Palestine became more inviting for immigrants from nearer at hand--mostly from surrounding Arab lands. Within the confines of the Ottoman Empire, this was an internal migration and was thus less noticeable than the influx of European Jews. By 1912, based on the demographics provided by Baedeker's: ~ Jerusalem was already an overwhelmingly Jewish city (population 70,000: including 45,000 Jews, 10,000 Moslems, and 15,000 Christians). ~ Jaffa was still overwhelmingly Arab (population 50,000: including 30,000 Moslems, 10,000 Christians, and 10,000 Jews). Note that the newly established Zionist community of Tel Aviv, which adjoins Jaffa, was not even mentioned. One must assume that many of Jaffa's 10,000 Jews and the "new suburbs" noted in Baedeker's were really part of Tel Aviv. ~ Hebron was cited as the capital of the Kada district (population 22,000: including 2,000 Jews with three synagogues). Baedeker's description includes poignant references to an ancient and flourishing Jewish community that was destroyed utterly during the anti-Jewish "riots" that erupted in Palestine during the 1920s and 30s. Aside from the demographic data, Baedeker's provides a number of other interesting historical insights. The Palestine of 1912 was regarded by European imperialists (yes, most Europeans--and most Americans, too--were proudly imperialistic in 1912) as a barely civilized corner of the non-European world. Consequently, this handbook includes tips on how to deal with "Orientals" and recommends weapons to help ensure safety in public places. Baedeker's Historical Palestine is a source of constant amazement in terms of how some things change and how others remain the same. Archeological excavation has negated some previously accepted speculations regarding ancient sites, for example. And the dramatically increased population of Jerusalem makes it a very different city than it was in 1912. Yet it isn't so different that maps showing the layout of then-existing streets and neighborhoods aren't still useful. Key landmarks and historical sites of all ages are very much the same now as they were then. Perhaps the most compelling insight provided in Baedeker's 1912 handbook is the continuing importance of pilgrims to the many holy sites in the region we now refer to as "Israel and the Palestinian Territories." Our methods and choices for transportation have expanded greatly, but many modern pilgrims--or tourists, if you prefer--are still seeking to enhance their closeness to God, in whatever tradition they honor.  |
| Read all comments (1)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
