Al-Quds Jerusalem in historical photographs
Academic Edition
This publication resulted from a major project IRCICA devoted to the preservation of the multicultural architectural and urban heritage of Al-Quds/Jerusalem, “The” esteemed city of all the heavenly faith systems. The Centre placed the book within the framework of the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. Prof. Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, wrote the Foreword to the album.
İhsanoğlu underlines the importance of Al- Quds/Jerusalem on universal scale, as a holy city for all three heavenly religions. For Muslims, Al-Quds is the third holy city after Makkah and Madina. Masjid al-Aqsa (“The farthest mosque”) is Muslims’ first qibla – the direction faced when praying. Throughout its history of several millennias the city has been the cradle of various faiths and cultures. It was always coveted by the main faith communities until modern times. The Secretary General then states that resolution of the conflict over Al-Quds and Palestine which is ongoing since mid-20th century was the founding motive of the OIC in 1969 and remains its foremost cause today. The OIC reiterated on all occasions its strong belief that the problem of Al-Quds is not just an Islamic issue but enjoys a wider religious dimension.
İhsanoğlu underlines in this regard that preservation of the multicultural character of the city with due respect of the populations and the shrines of each faith is no doubt an indispensable part of any acceptable solution of the problem. In the Preface, Dr. Halit Eren explains that in its capacity as the OIC’s research centre in charge of studies on history, culture and preservation of heritage, IRCICA carries out various activity programs relating to the urban, architectural and socio-cultural heritage of Al-Quds and Palestine. Eren refers to the history of Al-Quds/Jerusalem under the rule of successive states and refers to the major restorations conducted on Al-Quds monuments during Ottoman times; the city was almost renewed during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent with the restorations conducted at Qubbat as-Sakhra, the construction of walls, fountains, market places and the repair of water canals. Due to its special importance, also, Al-Quds/Jerusalem was visited and described by many travelers whose accounts provide information on various aspects of the city. European travelers’ books sometimes also contain engravings. Then, the region became the first place of interest of the pioneer photographers.
The Ottoman Palace was among the first in the world to acquire photographs of the region. Due to the special importance Sultan Abdülhamid II gave to Al-Quds, the Yıldız photograph collection which was formed during his reign contains a large number of them. The collection also contains prints taken by Ottoman photographers. Mr. Kerim Balcı, political scientist, specialist of the history of Al-Quds, reviews the developments in Jerusalem photography in the Introduction of the book.
The voluminous collection of photographs contained in the book tells the history of the city during the last quarter of the 19th and the first quarter of the 20th century through the lenses of the pioneer photographers who traveled to the Holy Lands shortly after the invention of photography techniques in the second half of the 19th century. Mr. Balcı gives instructive information on the activities of the photographers. They were either religiously motivated – looking for evidence from early Christianity, amateur explorers of the East, or rich westerners investing in images of the East for a growing market demand.
Due to the steady pace of development of Jerusalem photography from those early years onwards, the images reproduced in the book reflect not only the city’s features that changed or remained unchanged over time but also the progress of techniques and artistic know-how during the decades that followed the invention. The album contains the reproductions of 405 photographs gathered from IRCICA’s archive comprising the Yıldız Photograph Albums and several other collections.
The sections are arranged under the following titles: Panoramic Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque, The City and Its People, Holy Sites, Jerusalem’s History on Its Doors and in Its Streets, Jerusalem Streets, Professional Classes and Human Faces from Ottoman Jerusalem, Kaiser Wilhelm II visits Jerusalem, Ottoman Soldiers in Jerusalem and the Defense of the City. The book ends with special photographs on various themes and existing hand-colored versions of some of the photographs. Researchers interested in various aspects of A-Quds, from economic and social life to architecture, will benefit from having this selected archival collection at hand’s reach.
