Arabische Wortlisten in Pilgerhandbüchern des 15. Jahrhunderts

The article presents an initial analysis of Arabic word lists of 15th-century guides for pilgrims to the Holy Land. In the second half of the 15th century, organized pilgrimages to the Holy Land experienced a veritable boom. A large number of pilgrims to Jerusalem from this time are known by name: They include princes with their retinue, simple noblemen, citizens from the cities, high and low clergy, and – as servants – also many from the common people. This peculiar blend of piety and tourism, of curiosity, thirst for adventure, and concern for spiritual salvation, has produced a considerable number of travel accounts, some of which are shaped as guides for other pilgrims. Several of these contain Arabic world lists. Although the Arabic word lists are among the oldest datable evidence of a “Romanization” of a Syro-Palestinian vernacular, the expected yield for Arabic linguistic studies is still quite meagre, too meagre at least considering the effort required to identify such lists in the vast amount of handwritten material. However, these lists also have their intellectual and cultural significance, which makes engaging with them enticing.