After his visit to Mount Gilboa, Benjamin of Tudela made his way to Jerusalem — a journey of about three parasangs. Although he did not disclose the details of the weather, his lodging or the food he ate, he paid especial attention to the terrain of and surrounding Jerusalem, as well as the edifices that made it such an important place. Benjamin began his account of the city by providing a general demographic breakdown of its people. He wrote that the people of Jerusalem are called Jacobites, Syrians, Greeks, Georgians, Franks and those of all tongues. He continued by explaining that there were approximately 200 Jews at the time he visited, and they lived close to the Tower of David in one corner of Jerusalem. He then delved into more details about the architectural history of this tower. He also noted that there was a Jewish dyeing house in the city that operated under the condition that no other dyers were allowed into Jerusalem so long as Jews paid an annual rent to the king. This was the extent of Benjamin’s account of the people of Jerusalem.

As mentioned however, Benjamin described in great detail the layout of Jerusalem. The city was fortified by three walls and had several important buildings such as a hospital, the Church Sepulchre which happened to be the burial place of Jesus and a church that Christians often made pilgrimage to, and of course, the Temple of Solomon. Benjamin painted an image of the stables, built by King Solomon himself, that were attached to the temple and which have grew into substantially large structures of their own. Furthermore, at this temple, the pool that priests used prior to offering up their sacrifices could be found. This was a place where many Jews would visit so that they could write their names upon the walls.

In addition to the walls that fortified the city were four gates that allowed entrance to Jerusalem: the Gate of Abraham, the Gate of David, the Gate of Zion, and the Gate of Jehoshaphat. The Gate of Jehoshaphat faced the ancient temple, Templum Domini, which was a popular place of prayer for many. In front of this temple, was the western wall of the city, named the Gate of Mercy, and this was the direction that all the Jews prayed towards within the temple. The Gate of Jehoshaphat led to the valley of Jehoshaphat, which Benjamin claimed served as the gathering place of all nations. In this valley one could find the pillar of Absalom’s Hand, as well as the sepulcher of King Uzziah. Benjamin then noted the large spring called the Waters of Siloam. This spring was connected to the Brook of Kidron, however little water could be found in these bodies of water and the people of Jerusalem drank rain-water that was collected from their own cisterns instead. Past the Valley of Jehoshaphat, Benjamin described the Mount of Olives. This valley was the sole piece of land that separated Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. From this mountain one could see the Sea of Sodom, and just two parasangs beyond it was the Pillar of Salt, as well as the valley of Shittim. Additionally, Benjamin documented that Mount Zion was home to the sepulchers of the House of David and the kings that succeeded him. In great detail, Benjamin recounted the story of the House of David, explaining that the reason the wall of the church fell, making it impossible to see inside, was because the Lord did not want people. Benjamin claimed that this story was initially told by the Rabbi Abraham.

What struck me about Benjamin’s account of Jerusalem was the heightened sense of significance that he placed on the edifices of the buildings and their importance/history. It became evident with this entry, that Benjamin was not so much concerned with the people of the various places that he visited, nor the culture. Instead, Benjamin sought to better understand the history of a place as told by its geography and structures. Jerusalem serves as the Holy Land for all Jews and yet there is very little attention attention paid to the Jewish people of Jerusalem and their religion. This seems to suggest that Benjamin’s intent was moreover to document what other places looked like, in addition to what made them significant places worthy of other people knowing about.