Benjamin of Tudela
Bronze Bust of Benjamin by Ricardo Varela Andrés in Tudela, Navarre Background: Also known as Benjamin ben Jonah ( fl. c. 12th century ), was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe , Asia , and Africa in the twelfth century. Little is known of his personal life, apart from the fact that he was a native of Tudela in the Kingdom of Navarre , that he lived during the second half of the 12th century and that his father's name was Jonah. He is often referred to as Rabbi by non-Jewish sources, although there is no reliable evidence that he was ever one. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years. With his broad education and vast knowledge of languages, Benjamin of Tudela is a major figure in medieval geography and Jewish history . His work : The Travels of Benjamin is an important work not only as a description of the Jewish communities, but also as a reliable source about the geography and ethnography of the Midd...
