Benjamin of Tudela Travels, Medieval Europe, Palestine,

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Benjamin of Tudela Travels, Medieval Europe, Palestine, Description: Travels in The Middle Ages The Itinerary of Benjamin Of Tudela Introductions by Michael A. Signer, Marcus Mathan Adler and A. Asher Joseph Simon/Pangloss Press, Malibu, CA, 1987. Cloth hard covers will gilt titles, illustrated dust jacket, octavo, 169 pages, frontispiece illustration, maps, in-text decoration. “This is a book of travels composed by Rabbi Benjamin, son of Jonah, from the land of Navarre, may he rest in peace. This Rabbi Benjamin had left his native town of Tudela and traveled through many far countries, as is related in this book. In each place that he visited he wrote down things he had seen or learned from trustworthy people, things unknown in the land of Spain. He brought this book back with him on his return to Castile in the year 4933 of the Creation [1173 C.E.].” From the author’s Preface. The author provided many details about the Jewish communities he visited. “We know nothing about the personal history of Benjamin MiTudelo, better known as Benjamin of Tudela. He left Tudela, Spain between 1159 and 1163, and he returned in 1172. The two things we do know are that he traveled extensively for more than ten years (some historians believe fourteen years) visiting Jewish and non-Jewish communities around the world, and he wrote about his experiences. His travel diary, the Book of Travels, has been a god-send for historians. T is no general account of the Mediterranean world or of the Middle East in the mid-twelfth century which approaches that of Benjamin of Tudela in importance, whether for Jewish or for general history. He indicates the distances between the various towns he visited, tells who stood at the head of the Jewish communities, and who were the most notable scholars. He gives the number of Jews he found in each place, though it is not clear in many instances whether he is speaking of individuals or of householders, and in some cases such as Baghdad, the figures seem to be exaggerated. He notes economic conditions, describing the activity of merchants from various lands in Barcelona, Montpellier, and Alexandria, and speaking frequently of the occupations of the Jews: the dyers in Brindisi, the silk-weavers in Thebes, the tanners in Constantinople, and the glass-workers in Aleppo and Tyre. He was deeply interested in Jewish scholarship, and his accounts of intellectual life in Provence and Baghdad are especially important, as is his characterization of the organization of synagogue life in Egypt. Sects, too, engaged his attention, not only the Samaritans in Palestine, but also the Karaites in Constantinople and a tical sect in Cyprus which he relates observed the Sabbath from dawn to dawn. His characterizations of non-Jewish life are vivid. His somewhat highly- colored account of the Assassins of Lebanon and of the Ghuzz Turks are primary historical sources, and he is said to be the first European of modern times to mention China by the present name. The importance of his work can be gauged from the fact that it has been translated into almost every language of Europe, and is used as a primary source-book by all medieval historians His travel itinerary was as follows: From Tudela in northern Spain Benjamin traveled to Barcelona. From t he headed into Provence. He gave a fairly full account of the cities and the scholars of the region, and also described in detail the economic life. From Marseilles he went by sea to Genoa. He traveled through Pisa to Rome. He must have spent a fairly long time in Rome for he wrote a detailed description of the antiquities of the city. Not being a historian, he interpreted many of these as being associated with Jewish history. He also wrote about the Jewish community and their relations with the much-opposed Pope Alexander III. Benjamin then headed south describing, sometimes at length, the conditions in Salerno, Amalfi, Melfi, Benevento, and Brindisi. He... read more

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