ABSTRACT
The holy city of jerusalem at the start of the nineteenth century was a small, poor, backward town in a neglected corner of the decaying Ottoman Empire. The city existed solely on past glories; its powerful religious significance alone had kept it from collapsing long before into a huge archaeological tell, such as those that dotted the Middle Eastern landscape. The isolation of Jerusalem and the perils of the journey there were forcefully brought home to those seeking to visit. The journey to Jerusalem usually began in some European or Turkish port. Boarding the wooden sailing ships for a voyage that would last long weeks, would-be pilgrims found their excitement about visiting the Holy City mingled with gnawing anxiety. Although Jerusalem was essentially a consumer city, its modest economy rested primarily on the export of such products as olive-oil soap, olive-wood souvenirs, and some cooking and bath oils.
