II. Abdülhamid Döneminde Kudüs’te Alman Hıristiyan Hacılar İçin Kurulan Müesseseler
Institutions Established for German Christian Pilgrims in Jerusalem during the Reign of Abdulhamid II

Summary/Abstract: Jerusalem has been the most important place of pilgrimage for Christians throughout history. The competition between the imperialist powers of the period, which accelerated especially in the second half of the 19th century, became "religious competition" in Jerusalem. One of the components of this competition was the Christian pilgrims coming to this city. Although the Germans joined this process later, as a result of their good relations with the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdulhamid II, they came to the fore in this competition by building very important structures and institutions for both Catholic and Protestant pilgrims in Jerusalem, as well as other religious and charitable structures. In this article, after briefly summarizing the atmosphere of the period, based on Ottoman archival documents, German pilgrims and the institutions built for them will be discussed. The permit and construction processes of the Dormition and guesthouse built by German Catholics were tried to be conveyed as described in the documents. German Protestants is another topic, and here the first German Protestant guesthouse, the church and guesthouse built on the Mount of Olives in the name of German Empress Augusta Victoria is mentioned. Ultimately, these structures, which left their mark on the silhouette of Jerusalem with a “German”emphasis, were important manifestations of good relations with the Ottoman Empire. When compared to the processes of other states/communities in building such institutions, the German example looks quite different. By building all the institutions they wanted with the permission and approval of the highest authorities, the Germans made rapid progress on the Ottoman legal basis and gained an important place in the competition of the Christian world in this city by showing their presence on the most important hills of Jerusalem, such as the Mount of Olives and Mount Sion.

• Details
• Contents