This is the first collection of articles in English dealing with a broad selection of current research in historical geography being carried out in Israel. A dynamic core of historical geographers has developed in Israel over the past two decades. By integrating the methods of spatial study and field work with historical and archaeological primary sources, a better understanding of major process in the Holy Land is emerging.
The volume is divided into four parts, highlighting historical periods and central themes. The first section provides a background on the changing borders of the Holy Land and the study of Eretz Israel in ancient periods. The second deals with the 19th century under Ottoman rule, emphasizing the transportation infrastructure, entrepreneurship, agriculture and settlement. The third focuses on the Bedouin community, the Arab village and Jewish agricultural settlement in the 20th century. The last part considers institutional and governmental activities in the settlement process including urban social planning and the use of aerial photographs from the turn of the century until the establishment of the state of Israel.
