Conference on Jewish Studies

Pilgrimage to Mecca, a Qur’anic commandment incumbent on every Muslim who is capable of making the trip, is one of the five “pillars” of Islam. The visitation (ziyara) of other sacred sites – ranging from the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina to rural shrines dedicated to almost anonymous local saintly figures – became an extremely popular feature of religious life in Muslim societies, especially those under the influence of Sufism. While some Sunni scholars criticized these customs, attacking both their theological underpinning, dubious sources and specific practices, Shi`i scholars endorsed visits to the tombs of the imams and members of their families as venues for intense devotion to the house of Ali. The lecture will present various models of Islamic pilgrimage, as well as the literary genres that document it, encourage it or argue against it.

In the first half of the fourth century, when the Roman Empire came under Christian rule, people started to flock to the Holy Land to see with their own eyes the venerated places of the Bible. The pilgrims desired, mainly, to visit and touch the sites of Jesus’ life and Passion, where he, his mother the Virgin Mary, and his disciples operated. The pilgrimages had a significant impact on the Holy Land in general and on Jerusalem in particular. The flow of pilgrims, who came from near and far, has continued unabated until today and become a colorful component of the Jerusalem landscape. With time, pilgrimage became the focal point of a theological debate on the importance of geographical places and of wandering per se. It also gave birth to the genre of Itineraria literature—our main source of information about the pilgrimage movement and its destinations—and inspired diverse artistic expression as well.