Palestine-msg - 3/25/94

Medieval points of interest in Isreal.

NOTE: See also the files: Jews-msg, Islamic-bib, Byzantine-msg, crusades-msg, Khazars-msg, Arabs-msg, Middle-East-msg, Turkey-msg, Sicily-msg.

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                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: nusbache at epas.utoronto.ca (Aryk Nusbacher)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Period Jew-wear in Jerusalem
Date: 12 Dec 1993 10:50:36 -0500
Organization: EPAS Computing Facility, University of Toronto

fnklshtn at ACFcluster.NYU.EDU writes:
>In conversation I found out that this was a medieval Talit Katan and he got 
>it at a store in Jerusalem which sells medieval styled clothing and acceso-
>ries.

>Does anyone know about this store?

Check out the Cardo in the Jewish Quarter:  it's a restored section of
Roman shopping street with nifty shops and a Roman restaurant.

There is also a group of (loonies?) (fanatics?) (zealots?) who are
preparing for the Messiah by building all the temple furniture, breeding
temple animals, and weaving priestly and levitical clothing.  They will
sell you an entire suit of second-temple vestments based on Talmudic
descriptions.

>While on the subject of Israel - 
>aside from the ruins, are there any artifacts around or did they all go
>off to Britain when the Brits were in charge?
>(specifically, I'm thinking armour)

Armour in particular, and mediaeval artifacts in general, are of
peripheral interest at best to Israeli archaeologists.  There is some
Byzantine stuff kicking around in some museums, but don't expect to
see a lot of Byzantine, Mameluke, Kurd, or Crusader operational kit.

Places to visit include:

Beit Shean:  The Byzantine city of Scythopolis was destroyed by an
earthquake, and before the Greeks could rebuild, the Persians invaded.
So the city was never rebuilt -- until now.  They're rebuilding it,
stone on stone, including the drainage systems.

Akko:  When the Mamelukes took the last city in Outremer, they built
another city on top of it.  The hall of the Templars was made into a
water cistern, and the complex of the Hospitallers was filled with
rubble.  Well, it's all being dug out now, and lots of it is in great
shape.  Akko also has a beautiful and clean Arab market, and nifty
Napoleonic fortifications.

Nimrod's Fortress:  This crusader castle in the Golan was rebuilt
after it was taken, and is in terrific shape, including a cool secret
exit.  It is perched on top of a peak in the Hermon range, and it
looks like a castle from the cover of a fantasy novel.

Caesarea:  Beside the Roman digs are excavations of the Crusader city
of Caesarea.  The walls, moats, and gate houses are in great shape.
I've used the site as a background for a lecture in mediaeval
fortifications.

Cheers,
Aryk

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