13th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research

Presentation Abstracts

GONEN, Rivka

History, Tombs, and Territory

Two phenomena peculiar to the land of Israel combine to create a process for rediscovering history. One is the rich array of illustrious biblical and post-biblical Jewish kings, prophets and sages, well-known from literary sources but of whom there are hardly any material traces. The other is the existence around the country of numerous small, domed structures that mark the tombs of Muslim holy men, which were erected by the Arab population that settled in the country during the centuries after the expulsion of the Jews. This juxtaposition of the history of one people and concrete elements of another has led to a constant process whereby one is identified with the other - specifically, Muslim tombs are identified with tombs of ancient Jewish personalities. This ongoing process, carried out by travellers, mystics, and religious functionaries, has greatly accelerated in recent decades, when stories of the lives, death, and miraculous deeds of the Jewish personalities associated with the tombs began to circulate, giving rise to mass pilgrimages. This interesting phenomenon sheds light on various aspects of contemporary Israeli society.

The holy geography thus being constructed also helps strengthen the ancient Jewish claim to the land. It is possible, however, that the same process, in reverse, occurred during the centuries of Muslim rule in the area. Muslims may have attributed to their own saints’ tombs that were traditionally associated with Jewish figures.