Pilgrimages to sacred sites in the Land of Israel (the “Holy Land”) and the surrounding area were common from the early Middle Ages onward. Pilgrims, Christian and Jewish, needed guidance for their journeys, and scrolls showing the sacred sites, including the tombs of biblical saints and, in Jewish examples, rabbinic sages in the Land of Israel, were produced for this purpose. The scrolls were created both as a “map” and a commemoration (for those who had already taken the journey), or even as a means for the reader to complete the sacred journey in their own imagination. 

This scroll, with Hebrew text written in a square Italian hand, shows the sacred sites in geographical order: from Hebron to Jerusalem, the tombs of the prophet Samuel, Joshua and Caleb, the students of Rabbi Akiba, and others.  Thereafter, the scroll expands its focus to nearby sites outside the Holy Land. The scroll is a clear reflection of the love of Jews for their lost land—the land to which they would, with God’s help, return one day— and its “saints.”

Below are segments of the scroll split into smaller components so that you may view them in greater detail.