In this passage, Benjamin of Tudela describes the demographic makeup of Jerusalem, lists several landmarks of note, writes a bit about infrastructure, and describes the surroundings of the city, including the Mount of Olives, the Sea of Sodom, and the valley of Jehoshaphat. Reading this, we can get some idea of the conditions in and around the city at the time, and what the important religious sites were like. He came from just north of Jerusalem from “Mahomerie-le-Grand” or Gibeon, according to him three parasangs from Jerusalem (probably just over ten miles distance, a day or two’s journey). As is common with Benjamin of Tudela, he records no specifics about travel logistics, length of stay, or dates

Jerusalem is and was one of the holiest (if not the holiest) site in all three Abrahamic religions. Since long before Benjamin of Tudela it has been a place unique in all the world because of this. Though he calls the city small, he describes it as very religiously, ethnically, and linguistically diverse, inhabited by Jacobites, Syrians, Greeks, Georgians, Franks, and various others. Since Benjamin’s journey likely began in the mid-1160s, Jerusalem would have still been under Crusader rule for another decade or so, until 1187. He estimates that only 200 Jews remained in Jerusalem, probably a result of the policies of the Christian kings—Jews were deported or temporarily banned throughout much of this period. He does still describe Jewish and Muslim inhabitants, however, and Muslim, Christian, and Jewish holy sites. Jewish dyers did have singular access to the profession in exchange for a small annual tax, according to Benjamin. This was clearly not a high point of the Jewish population in Jerusalem, but perhaps not the darkest either. He notes that the few hundred Jews in the city all live together in one corner of the city, under the Tower of David. Isolation of Jewish communities, either self-imposed or decreed from above, has long been common, especially during hostile administrations. He also writes that there are old Israelite cemeteries just outside the city, but the Christians had been destroying the sepulchres and using the stones to build their own houses.

Since Benjamin of Tudela often writes in a fairly impersonal manner and does not typically discuss logistics or personal experiences, it’s difficult to tell what his experience of Jerusalem was like as a Jewish man, but it seems that he didn’t face any difficulties traveling freely in and out of the city from authorities, at least not ones he found worth mentioning. He talks briefly about some existing Jewish holy sites, including the wall of the court of the Temple, and the old pool used by priests where Jews write their names on the wall. Interestingly, he spends more time on an anecdote about the sepulchres of the kings of Judah than on any other aspect of the city. The story is an explanation of why the exact locations of the sepulchres are hidden and sealed up, as told to him by a Rabbi Abraham el Constantini. Rabbi Abraham is one of the infrequent individuals mentioned which Benjamin of Tudela has a personal exchange with; in other cases, he also relays stories as told to him by Rabbis, whom he clearly finds trustworthy as a whole. This makes sense: Rabbinical status would have implied respectability and learnedness to him.

This excerpt doesn’t directly explain the political and religious climate of Jerusalem at the time, but that theme does run through many parts of it, giving unique insight into the relationship between Christians, Jews, and Muslims from the point of view of a foreigner. It feels like a sort of uneasy accord. However, this is a fairly short piece of writing, and Benjamin of Tudela was simply a traveler, who probably didn’t spend very much time in Jerusalem. As usual, Benjamin is focused mostly on architecture, sightseeing, general lifestyles, interesting stories, and Jewish communities. At most places he stops, he at least briefly describes the condition of the Jewish population, if it exists, potentially indicating that his intended audience is primarily other Jews.