In his description of the Valley of Hebron, Mandeville focuses on the valley’s biblical legacy and the places pilgrims might like to visit while they are there. He describes Hebron’s history and relates it to biblical figures and events, claiming that Adam lived there, King David ruled over it for seven and a half years, and the patriarchs and their wives (Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and Jacob and Rebecca) are buried there (36). He also relates the biblical legacies of locations he describes, talking about the church where the patriarchs are buried, a cave where Adam and Eve supposedly lived after the Fall, the place where Abraham’s house was, and the grave of Lot two miles outside of Hebron (36-37).  Mandeville doesn’t spend much time talking about practical aspects of this location, choosing instead to essentially lay out a guide for sightseeing. However, travelers have to pass through a desert to reach Hebron and Mandeville mentions hills and rocks, giving the impression that it is a valley within a dry, mountainous area (36-37).

Mandeville prioritizes the religious aspects of Hebron, as well as other locations he describes prior to this, which makes sense given that this part of the text describes various routes which pilgrims can take to Jerusalem. Mandeville seems to think that his readers will mainly care about the religious histories of these locations and their connections to biblical stories, as well as what relics and religious locations they would be able to see during their travels. He doesn’t talk much about the people in Hebron, aside from grouping them by religion and talking about Christians, Jews, and “Saracens”; he also doesn’t give much attention to economics, trade, or government. His focus is solely to provide a kind of “Guide for Pilgrims” hitting all the religious must-sees in this area. I find Mandeville’s focus on religious legacy specifically interesting, as he tries to relate every place he describes in this location to at least one (usually more) stories from the Old Testament. It’s as though he needs to show his readers the reasons this place is significant and explain why they should stop there and what they should pay attention to. Given that pilgrimages are generally about journeying to a place to pay homage to its historical and cultural significance, this makes sense; however, I do find it unusual that he would spend so much time on places along the way to Jerusalem. The potential pilgrimages his text prevents seem almost like a leisurely road trip, in which travelers take their time getting to their destination and stop to see sights along the way.

 

(pp. 36-37)