User:Tiamut/Mohammedan Saints

Mohammedan Saints and Sanctuaries in Palestine is a book written by Tawfiq Canaan in 1929 that documents and describes the hundreds of holy shrines (maqams) and sanctuaries that were sites of popular worship in Palestine.

Overview/Contents

Preface

In the preface to the book, Canaan explains what motivated him to write it, citing an urgent need to document "the folklore, customs and superstitions" of Palestinians which were quickly being overtaken by the encroachment of "European civilization, more sophisticated but more unnatural" into "the Palestinian atmosphere". (p. V)

• personally visited 235 shrines and gathered documentation about 348 of them (p. VI)

Types of shrines

• one-tenth of the shrines were dedicated to female saints. "60 per cent of the female saints enjoying a wide reputation, as compared to only 31 per cent of the male list."

Reception

• initially largely overlooked, renewed interest in his work emerging in the 21st century
• characterized by roy as "salvage anthropology" and critiqued as having an orientalist outlook
• Canaan's acquaintances included several biblical archaeologists
• homegrown ethnography, interweaving of influences

Bibliography

• Gabriel Polley (2024-03-05). "Not Forgotten, Not (All) Erased: Palestine's Sacred Shrines". The Markaz Review.
• Mohammedan Saints and Sanctuaries

• Islamic Pasts and Futures

• Amanda Batarseh (2023-09-07). "Centering Place in Tawfiq Canaan's Literary Cartography". Journal of Palestine Studies. 52, 2023.

• Glenn Bowman (2013-03-12). "Popular Palestinian Practices around Holy Places and Those Who Oppose Them: An Historical Introduction". Religion Compass. 7 (3): 69–78.

• for Canaan article https://www.palquest.org/sites/default/files/lburS_wlmjdhyb_wlwly_lSlHwn_-_slym_tmry.pdf