grey shadow
Banned
Palestine was an uninhabited desert.
Before the Jews came to Palestine and founded their state, the country was an uninhabited desert. At best, the Arabs roamed around in it with their camels.
That is what many people believe. There are even those who believe that it was the Jews that made the wilderness bloom, under which the Arabs are assumed to have come to Palestine from neighboring countries to reap the benefit of the results that Jews had achieved through their enthusiasm.
In fact Palestine was well populated, as it was cultivated, wherever this was possible. Following contemporary conditions, it was even quite densely populated, the terrain into account. This was already noted in the 19 century by a growing number of visitors from Europe
They included scholars who traveled the country in all directions and carefully recorded the hundreds of Arab villages' names on their cards, besides the numerous ruins that villagers designated for them. On this basis, they developed the 'Bible atlases'. But most of the visitors, however, had no scientific purpose of the trip. Their journey was religious in nature, since they wanted to visit the biblical land, and above all to pray at the holy places as pilgrims.
Anyway, the influx of visitors was so great that the famous publishers of guidebooks Karl Baedeker of Leipzig, in 1875 added a volume on Palestine to its well-known series. It was written with Germanic thoroughness by Professor Albert Socin, who was a great connoisseur of the Middle East and its history. A third edition, revised and expanded by dr. Benzinger, appeared in 1891. With Albert Socin´s work in mind, Dr. Benzinger did his travel through the area in the spring of the 1890th
By looking in his travel handbook from 1891, with its rich descriptions of routes, detailed maps and accurate historical information about the sights you get a vivid picture of life in Palestine in the last century. At that time the population is around 650,000 (including Transjordan). The visitors who came by ship from Europe, tempering usually Jaffa. About this city Benzinger writes:
“In recent years the city has grown considerably. The ancient city walls were demolished and graves to the north and south is now in the new suburbs. The population is estimated at more than 15,000. Trade is by no means negligible. Imports come mainly from Germany, and there is an export of soap, corn, sesame, pineapple and other fruits, and at the very latest of wine from Sarona”.
A prerequisite for peace between Israel and Palestine is that we recognize the historical facts as they exist. We must educate our children to take responsibility for our region and above all we must silence the religious freaks who preach hatred on both sides. It is so simple and yet so difficult. Dialogue is the only way - and we must be open to compromises where necessary.
Shalom aleikhem :type:
(Peace be upon you)
Before the Jews came to Palestine and founded their state, the country was an uninhabited desert. At best, the Arabs roamed around in it with their camels.
That is what many people believe. There are even those who believe that it was the Jews that made the wilderness bloom, under which the Arabs are assumed to have come to Palestine from neighboring countries to reap the benefit of the results that Jews had achieved through their enthusiasm.
In fact Palestine was well populated, as it was cultivated, wherever this was possible. Following contemporary conditions, it was even quite densely populated, the terrain into account. This was already noted in the 19 century by a growing number of visitors from Europe
They included scholars who traveled the country in all directions and carefully recorded the hundreds of Arab villages' names on their cards, besides the numerous ruins that villagers designated for them. On this basis, they developed the 'Bible atlases'. But most of the visitors, however, had no scientific purpose of the trip. Their journey was religious in nature, since they wanted to visit the biblical land, and above all to pray at the holy places as pilgrims.
Anyway, the influx of visitors was so great that the famous publishers of guidebooks Karl Baedeker of Leipzig, in 1875 added a volume on Palestine to its well-known series. It was written with Germanic thoroughness by Professor Albert Socin, who was a great connoisseur of the Middle East and its history. A third edition, revised and expanded by dr. Benzinger, appeared in 1891. With Albert Socin´s work in mind, Dr. Benzinger did his travel through the area in the spring of the 1890th
By looking in his travel handbook from 1891, with its rich descriptions of routes, detailed maps and accurate historical information about the sights you get a vivid picture of life in Palestine in the last century. At that time the population is around 650,000 (including Transjordan). The visitors who came by ship from Europe, tempering usually Jaffa. About this city Benzinger writes:
“In recent years the city has grown considerably. The ancient city walls were demolished and graves to the north and south is now in the new suburbs. The population is estimated at more than 15,000. Trade is by no means negligible. Imports come mainly from Germany, and there is an export of soap, corn, sesame, pineapple and other fruits, and at the very latest of wine from Sarona”.
A prerequisite for peace between Israel and Palestine is that we recognize the historical facts as they exist. We must educate our children to take responsibility for our region and above all we must silence the religious freaks who preach hatred on both sides. It is so simple and yet so difficult. Dialogue is the only way - and we must be open to compromises where necessary.
Shalom aleikhem :type:
(Peace be upon you)