The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela is the remarkable travel account of a twelfth-century Jewish traveller from Spain who journeyed across the medieval world. Benjamin describes the lands, cities, and Jewish communities he encountered from Iberia through Italy, Greece, the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Land, and into the Near East. His observations on commerce, customs, rulers, and the size and condition of Jewish communities make the work a unique and invaluable medieval source.
Written before Marco Polo’s more famous travels, the Itinerary offers a vivid picture of the twelfth-century Mediterranean and Near East, blending careful report with occasional wonder. It is a precious record both of Jewish history and of the wider medieval world. Readers interested in travel literature, medieval geography, or Jewish history will find it fascinating. This free EPUB edition makes Benjamin of Tudela’s celebrated medieval itinerary available in English.