The Guilds of Ottoman Jerusalem

This reconstruction of the guilds that functioned in Jerusalem during the Ottoman period draws on the archives of the local court of Muslim Jerusalem, but also includes information on the Jewish and Christan communities. About 50 different guilds are described: Goldsmiths and blacksmiths, tourist guides and undertakers, tailors and carpenters, soap makers and cotton weavers, beauticians and bookbinders. The modus operandi of each guild, and of the system as a whole, are analysed and presented as precursers of civil society. The book also holds 19 original documents - facsimiles plus translations - illustrating the activity of several central guilds.