famous Travellers to the Holy land

linda Osband

Published by Prion, hardcover with dustjacket, illustrated

From medieval times until the end of the eighteenth century the Holy Land was a neglected backwater of the Ottoman empire, a province of Syria sited by only a handful of merchants, pilgrims and explorers. This situation was completely reversed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when a vast number of Westerners rediscovered the area, travelling often under dangerous conditions and, on their return, chronicling their impressions, adventures, and the results of their explorations and surveys.

This fascinating series of extracts from the works of some thirty of the more famous of these travellers give in their own words a vivid picture of what the Holy Land was really like - the state of its Holy Places, the squalor of its cities, the beauty of its countryside, the bleakness of its desert areas, the wonders of its archaeological heritage, and the colour and customs of its inhabitants.

The travellers included in this book range from scholars and statesmen to archaeologists, soldiers, royals,
theologians, biblical researchers, painters, novelists, philanthropists and intrepid explorers. The excitements encountered on their journeys - whether rediscovering part of ancient Jerusalem or confronting a band of hostile Bedouin in the desert; their diverse impressions of the Holy Places - ranging from divine inspiration to deep cynicism and disappointment; and their descriptions of specific topics such as the corrupt system of government under the Turks, the deviousness of the Arabs and the squabbling amongst the different Christian sects, brilliantly convey the wonders and problems of travelling in the Holy Land at that time.