Jerusalem and Its Surroundings in the Past Through the Eyes of a Christian Traveler, 1697

Jerusalem and Its Surroundings in the Past Through the Eyes of a Christian Traveler 1697 Book Description Jerusalem is the heart of the Middle East, and the key to understanding Jerusalem is to know and understand the meaning that the members of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Mohammedanism) gave to this place and the relationship they established with this place in the past. The year is 1697. Henry Maundrell, who was working as a preacher in a British-owned factory in Aleppo, along with some employees from the same factory, set out at the end of February to be there during the Easter holiday and went to Jerusalem on a 2.5-month journey, which they described as a 'pilgrimage'. They carry out their religious duties, which include visiting places they consider holy in and around them and attending the services held there for Easter. During this journey, which they carried out on horseback on a route of approximately 1000 kilometers (out and back), Maundrell recorded in his diary in detail his observations in the villages and cities they passed along the route (Latakia, Beirut, Tripoli, Jerusalem, Sur, Nablus, Sidon, etc.). On the way back from Jerusalem, Maundrell and his friends do not forget to stop by Damascus and Baalbek (in the Bekaa Valley), which is the site of the famous pagan temple left over from the Romans. Although the signs of the great stagnation and the beginning of the process of self-doubt have generally begun to be seen, it is a period in which the dominance of the Ottoman administration is effectively felt in the region. We hope that the observations and evaluations of a British Anglican priest about Jerusalem and its surroundings during the period when it was under Ottoman control, even if it was in the years when it was weakening, can contribute to our understanding of the Middle East. (From the Promotional Bulletin)