Benjamin of Tudela
(? - 1173)
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.
There 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 heretical 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
From Tudela in northern Spain Benjamin traveled to Barcelona. From there 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
Benjamin then headed south
describing, sometimes at length, the conditions in Salerno, Amalfi,
Melfi, Benevento, and Brindisi. He sailed by way of Corfu to Arta,
and then through Greece, where he
noted the Jewish silk-weavers in various places, and the agricultural
colony at Crissa on Mt. Parnassus.
He seems to have spent a
particularly long time in Constantinople. His description of both
Jewish and non-Jewish conditions there is better than any other from
Benjamin sailed through the Aegean
archipelago to Cyprus and then crossed to the mainland. He headed
south via Antioch, Sidon, Tyre, and Akko into the Land of Israel, which was still under the rule of the Crusaders.
He traveled throughout the country,
giving a detailed account of the Holy Places (which he called in many
instances by their French names: thus Hebron is St. Abram de Bron). On the whole, his descriptions were far more
objective than those of Christian pilgrims of the age, and he
provided us with added insight by focusing on Jerusalem and its
From Tiberias Benjamin traveled
north to Damascus and then around to Baghdad. His account of the Druze was the first in the non-Arabic literature.
His account of Baghdad was more
extensive than any other. He drew a graphic picture of the court of
the caliph and the charitable foundations of the city. He also told
of the organization of the still-surviving talmudic academies and the
glories and functions of the Exilarch.
After Baghdad, Benjamin's accounts
become historically suspect. Although he may have traveled to Persia,
his descriptions of conditions there contain much legendary material.
He wrote with some fantastic detail about China, Cochin, and Ceylon,
and there's no way to know whether any of his descriptions were
His personal impressions became
again realistic in his admirable and detailed account of Egypt in
general and its Jewish life in particular, especially in Cairo and
Alexandria, which he visited on his return voyage.
Benjamin then headed back to
Sicily, his account of Palermo being both accurate and picturesque.
From there he probably returned to Spain by sea, though the itinerary as we have it ends with an idealized
picture of Jewish life in northern France and Germany, presumably
based on hearsay. He reentered Spain, as is specifically stated,
through Castile, having left it by way of Aragon.
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