Benjamin MeTudella in northern Iraq

I have spent the past few days in Mosul (a city on the Tigris in northern Iraq) sitting around waiting for convoys to arrive from Irbil. Not very exciting stuff. But by coincidence I have been reading the travel diary of Benjamin MeTudella a 12th century Jew who traveled from Spain the middle east, then Asia and North Africa.

Like "D" and I on our last trip through Spain, he passed through Barcelona and Gerona on the beginning of his journey.

Here is what he has to say about Irbil and Mosul:

[From the place where Noah's ark is, near the synagogue of Ezra where Jews come to pray on the 9th of Av,] it is two days to Mosul, which is Assur the Great, and here dwell about 7,000 Jews, at their head being R. Zakkai the Nasi of the seed of David, and R. Joseph surnamed Burhan-al-mulk, the astronomer to the King Sin-ed-din, the brother of Nured-din, King of Damascus. Mosul is the frontier town of the land of Persia. It is a very large and ancient city, situated on the river Hiddekel (Tigris), and is connected with Nineveh by means of a bridge. Nineveh is in ruins, but amid the ruins there are villages and hamlets, and the extent of the city may be determined by the walls, which extend forty parasangs to the city of Irbil. The city of Nineveh is on the river Hiddekel. In the city of Assur (Mosul) is the synagogue of Obadiah, built by Jonah; also the synagogue of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The ruins of the city of Nineveh are now in the city of Mosul which you can see from the FOB.

Metudella stopped in scores of cities, where he enumerated the number of Jews in each one and the historical sites, artifacts and lore that each had. It is unclear what he was doing on his travels. Was he looking for Jewish havens? Was he looking for Jewish connections in other cities for trade? His motives are unknown, but it certainly must have been an exciting adventure.

Update: I am not the only one who has been reading Tudella's diary lately.