Gerusalemme e la Palestina nella rihla maqdisiyya dello shaykh Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi (1903)

Abstract

The rihla maqdisiyya, or the record of the visit to to the Palestinian regions, and especially to Jerusalem (al-Quds), represents a particular typology of Arabic travel accounts as compared to other documents of this genre. As a matter of fact, the rihla maqdisiyya reflects some peculiarities which mainly depend, other than the particular geographical position of the Palestinian region, on the religious as well as symbolic significance that this has assumed throughout history (just consider the relevant presence of holy places for the three major monotheisms in Jerusalem). The rihla of Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi at the beginning of the 20th century is very little known. Not only it is of great significance as far as the personality of the shaykh of Damascus is concerned, it also reflects important changes - of economic, political. cultural and also social nature - which Palestine had been undergoing in the period considered