1st Edition

Studies on Ottoman Palestine

By Amnon Cohen Copyright 2011
    274 Pages
    by Routledge

    The studies brought together here are based on Amnon Cohen's many years of research in the archives of the Shari'a courts in Jerusalem, as well as archives in Ankara and Istanbul, London and Paris, complemented and enhanced by travellers' reports, diplomatic correspondence, and Arab chronicles of the Middle East. Cohen highlights major developments in the economic, demographic and social fields, stretching over four centuries of Ottoman rule in Palestine, from the zenith of military achievements in Europe up to the demise of the empire and conquest of Palestine by the British army in the first World War. These studies are histories of the whole country, stretching from the Mediterranean coasts to the highlands of Jerusalem and beyond, to the Jordan valley. They cover the vicissitudes of both the urban setting and rural hinterland, with special attention equally paid to the diversified nature of the Palestinian population comprised of Jews, Christians and Muslims - and their respective holy places.

    Contents: Introduction; Part 1 Palestine - Local and International Dimensions: Ottoman involvement in Europe: its relevance for 16th century Palestine; Some conventional concepts of Ottoman administration in the light of a more detailed study: the case of 18th century Palestine; Ottoman rule and the re-emergence of the coast of Palestine; Napoleon and Jezzar: a local perspective. Part 2 Jerusalem - Urban and Economic Developments: The walls of Jerusalem; L'oeuvre de Soliman le Magnifique à Jérusalem: les murailles, la citadelle et leurs moyens de défense; Local trade, international trade and government involvement in Jerusalem during the early Ottoman period; Le rouge et le noir - Jerusalem style; Gold and silver crafting in Ottoman Jerusalem; the role played by the guild; 1516-1917: Haram-i serif - the Temple Mount under Ottoman rule. Part 3 Jerusalem's Hinterland: Al-Nabi Musa - an Ottoman festival (mawsim) resurrected?; A coffeehouse in 19th century Jerusalem: a precursor of modernization. Part 4 Jews and Jewish Matters: New evidence on demographic change: the Jewish community in 16th century Jerusalem; Communal legal entities in a Muslim setting - theory and practice: the Jewish community in 16th-century Jerusalem; Ottoman sources for the history of the Ottoman Jews: how important?; Ritual murder accusations against the Jews during the days of Suleiman the Magnificent; A tale of two women: facets of Jewish life in 19th-century Jerusalem as seen through the Muslim court records; The Jews under Islam c.1500 - today. Part 5 Christians and Christianity: On the realities of the millet system: Jerusalem in the 16th century; The Ottoman approach to Christians and Christianity in 16th-century Jerusalem; The expulsion of the Franciscans from Mount Zion: old documents and new interpretations; The receding of the Christian presence in the Holy Land: a 19th-century sijill in the light of the 16th-century tahrirs; Index.

    Biography

    Professor Amnon Cohen holds the Eliahu Elath Chair for the History of the Muslim Peoples at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and was tbe recipient of the Israel Prize in 2007.

    'Studies on Ottoman Palestine constitutes an interesting collection of articles that will be welcomed by scholars of Ottoman Palestine and Jerusalem...' Middle Eastern Studies