The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela

A virtual encyclopedia of Jewish life in the 12th century, which means it coincides with the Crusades and the height of Spanish Jewry. Benjamin of Tudela, mentioned in the Rishonim, was a Jewish traveler and he cataloged all the Jewish communities he came across from Rome and Europe to the far East. He even spoke of Jews in the most far off places such as Africa, India and China. His most important observations however have to deal with the massive Jewish communities that were once found in places such as Baghdad. He described not only the Jewish courts and Jewish way of life but also the demographics.