Isaac ben Joseph ibn Chelo 1334 CE
Isaac ben Joseph ibn Chelo gives a extensive description of the Jewish Community in the Land of Israel in the 14th Century.
Jerusalem:
‘The Jewish community in Jerusalem is quite numerous…"
He mentions four gates: Gate of Mercy, the Gate of Abraham, the Gate of David and the Gate of Zion. Other landmarks mentioned are Solomon's Palace, Tower of David, the tomb of the prophetess Hulda on the Mount of Olives, and the tombs of the House of David on Mount Zion
Occupation and Crafts:
"Among the different members of the holy congregation at Jerusalem are many who are engaged in handicrafts such as dyers, tailors, shoemakers, etc. Others carry on a rich commerce in all sorts of things, and have fine shops. Some are devoted to science, as medicine, astronomy and mathematics."
Torah Learning:
"But the greater number of their learned men are working day and night at the study of the Holy Law [the Torah and Talmud] and of the true wisdom, which is the Kabbalah [mystic interpretation of the biblical texts]. They are maintained out of the coffers of the community, because the study of the law is their only calling.’
‘There are also at Jerusalem excellent calligraphist, and the copies are sought for by the strangers, who carry them away to their own countries. I have seen a Pentateuch written with so much art that several persons at once wanted to acquire it, and it was only for excessively high price that the Chief of the Synagogue of Babylon carried it off with him to Baghdad.’
Temple Mount and the Western Wall:
Chelo mentions Temple Mount, on which he is not allowed to set foot, and when he sees the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of El-Aksa, he cries:
‘Alas, by reasons of our sins, where the sacred building once stood, its place is taken by a profane temple, built by the King of the Ishmaelites [Muslims] when he conquered Palestine and Jerusalem from the uncircumcised [Gentiles].’
He calls ‘one of seven wonders of the Holy City the Western Wall which stands before the Temple… The Jews resort thither to say their prayers.’
On Hebron he writes:
“From there we reached Halhul, a place mentioned by Joshua. Here there are a certain number of Jews. They take travelers to see a ancient sepulchral monument attributed to Gad the Seer. It is the third tomb of the seven prophets.
From Halhul the road leads to Hebron, a place which bore formerly the name of Kiriath-Arba, the city of Arba, Father of the Anakim. he was a giant even among giants, and there still remains to this day at Hebron a skeleton of enormous stature said to be that of one of these giants.
The Jews, who are very numerous here, do a considerable trade in cotton, which they spin and dye themselves, as well as in all sorts of glassware made by them in Hebron. They have an ancient Synagogue and pray there day and night, for they are very devout.
During the ten days of penitence, they visit the tombs of Jesse, father of King David, and of Abner, son of Ner. There, with faces turned towards the Cave of Machpela, they implore that God will have mercy and restore this sacred place where the patriarchs are buried (Please be with them !) into their hands, as in former days they used to be. On the eve of the day of the great pardon they all resort to the tombs of Rachel and of Nathan the Prophet to perform their devotions there.
I have visited these two tombs. The first is a moment composed of twelve great stone, surmounted by a cupola also of stone. The second is one single recumbent stone. I have prayed for you and for myself on the sepulchre of our mother Rachel, and I have prayed and wept for the health of my sick son on the tomb of the prophet Nathan. (May God grant my prayer !)
Ibn Chelo mentions different routes:
Route 1: From Jerusalem to Arad
Route 2: From Jerusalem to Yaffo (Jaffa)
Route 3: From Jerusalem to Shechem
Route 4: From Jerusalem to Akko
Route 5: From Jerusalem to Tiberias (via Akko)
Route 6: From Tiberias to Tsfat (Safed)
Route 7: From Jerusalem to Banias (Dan)
To read about the Jewish communities mentioned in Ibn Chelo's book HERE