Holy Sites Research Articles

Sviće “Smurf”: Intertextual Linkages in Protests Against Montenegro’s 2019 Freedom of Religion Law

Elements of traditional folklore and popular culture were invoked in protests opposing the 2019 Zakon o slobodi vjeroispovijesti ili uvjerenja i pravnom položaju vjerskih zajednica [Montenegrin Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities], hereafter referred to as the 2019 Freedom of Religion law. The 2019 Freedom of Religion law replaced an older law on religion and caused controversy for its various articles that would thereafter require evidence of church property ownership, without which such properties would transfer into state property. Many people identifying as Serbs in Montenegro protested the updated law to express their concern that holy sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro might become government property under the new law. Protest materials intertextually linked traditional folklore and popular culture characters to the movement. As intertextuality refers to the relationship between two or more texts brought into the same frame, folkloric elements emerged in protests in Montenegro and representations on social media through intertextual linkages. This paper addresses intertextual references made by the hip hop collective Beogradski Sindikat in their song and music video supporting the protests, “Sviće zora” [Dawn Breaks] and people’s recontextualizations of the popular culture figure of Papa Smurf, from the cartoon franchise “the Smurfs,” in Montenegro and abroad. In analyzing such protest materials, I argue that an intertextual approach to protests facilitates understandings of protesters’ meaning-making processes and the semiotic interactions between folklore and protests.

Coastal sailing, landscape inspection, and the making of holy sites along the eastern Mediterranean sea-routes

The present paper explores the ways in which holy sites located on the coastal landscape of the Mediterranean were experienced visually by sailors and pilgrims of the late medieval to early modern periods and raises questions as to the different modi whereby holiness was perceived as site-bound, depending on the expectations of the viewer. The focus is on two prominent places encountered in the coastal navigation of the eastern Mediterranean: one invested with a strong biblical pedigree (Mount Carmel), and another (Saint Nicholas of the Cats, Cyprus), whose miraculous aura stemmed from the presence of a vast number of cats deemed be exceptionally hardy in their battle against the marauding snakes. Despite their different lineages, both religious sites worked as important orientation marks for ships and came to be acknowledged by pilgrims as important cultic attractions whose worship basically consisted of the emotionally charged contemplation and detailed inspection of the geographic features they presented from the sea. Emphasis is laid on the dynamics whereby the visual dimension of Holy Land pilgrimage and the role played by coastal inspection in Mediterranean seafaring practice mutually interacted and contributed to the reading of landscape as an uninterrupted sequence of interrelated loca sancta.

Shia Clerics, Holy Sites, and the Online Visual Culture of the Revolutionary Youth in Iran

Since the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) called on the clergy to embark on an online jihad to rescue youngsters trapped in the “killing field” of the internet, a vast number of clerics and state-sponsored religious organizations and actors have expanded their online activities. The growing body of Islamic online contents produced by the IRI’s promoters and the proliferation of social media-related practices in religious places and events have shaped the online visual culture of the Iranian revolutionary youths. To explore this under-researched area, this study concentrates on three sets of visual tropes: (1) selfies with martyrs, (2) selfies taken by revolutionary clerics in disaster-stricken areas, and (3) shared images of the holy shrine of Imam Reza on Instagram. In addition to online documents (including posters, photographs, and reports), the data includes selectively chosen Instagram postings retrieved by searching pertinent accounts, hashtags, and locations on the platform. The investigation inquires the ways in which online image-making has been incorporated in the construction of holy sites and the culture of sacrifice and martyrdom propagated by the IRI as ideal youth aspirations. The findings demonstrate the extensive appropriation of social media and intensive integration of online image-making in this field. The study contributes to understanding of the online spaces and practices aimed at extending the influence over the online youth culture in Iran in line with the IRI’s cultural plans and policies.

Review: Four Central Asian Shrines: A Socio-political History of Architecture

Review: <i>Four Central Asian Shrines: A Socio-political History of Architecture</i>

A Late Acceptance Hyper-Heuristic Approach for the Optimization Problem of Distributing Pilgrims over Mina Tents

About three million Muslims are traveling annually to Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform the rituals of Hajj (i.e. the pilgrimage), the fifth pillar of Islam. It requires the pilgrims to move to several holy sites while performing the Hajj ritual, including Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah sites. However, pilgrims spend most of their time in prepared tent-camps at the Mina site during the days of Hajj. Among the challenges that the organizers face in the Hajj is the distribution of pilgrims over the camps of Mina while considering a range of constraints, which is considered a real-world optimization problem. This paper introduces a hyper-heuristic approach to optimize the distribution process of pilgrims over Mina tent-camps in an efficient manner, named the hyper-heuristic Mina tents distribution algorithm (HyMTDA). The proposed algorithm, iteratively, selects one heuristic among four predefined low-level heuristics to produce a new solution; thereafter the late move acceptance strategy is applied as a judgment to accept or reject the new solution. The performed simulations show that the proposed HyMTDA can effectively explore the search space and avoid falling into local minima during the iterations process. Moreover, comparisons show that HyMTDA outperforms other heuristic algorithms in the literature in terms of solution quality and convergence rate.

Evaluation of the rate, pattern and appropriateness of antibiotic prescription in a cohort of pilgrims suffering from upper respiratory tract infection during the 2018 Hajj season.

Hajj is associated with an increased risk of the transmission of infectious diseases including upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). It can be a focal point for the emergence, persistence and dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. The overuse of antibiotics during Hajj can promote the development of antimicrobial resistance. Little information is known regarding the true appropriateness of prescribing antibiotics for treating URTIs during Hajj. Here we studied the rate, patterns and appropriateness of antibiotic prescription among a cohort of pilgrims who were treated for URTIs during the 2018 Hajj season. Adult pilgrims who sought medical services for URTIs [presenting with coryza, runny nose, nasal irritation, nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, headache or fever (even if subjective)] within the Holy sites were enrolled in this study and consented to provide swabs and medical information. A total of 121 pilgrims were enrolled, with the majority (60.3 %) originating from North African Arab countries. Most were male (89.3 %) with a median age of 45 years. Bacterial infections were detected in 7.3 % (n=9) of the URTI cases. The identified bacteria included Haemophilus influenzae (n=6, all resistant to ampicillin), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=2), Staphylococcus aureus (n=1, resistant to oxacillin) and Moraxella catarrhalis (n=1, resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole). The antibiotic prescription rate was 52.1%, most of which was amoxicillin (81 %). The data demonstrated that the proportion of appropriate practices in treating bacterial URTIs in this cohort was 45.5 %. This study highlights the need for implementing laboratory identification of the aetiological agents and related AMR profiles when treating URTIs in Hajj, rather than relying on clinical assessment alone.

An integrated hydrological and hydraulic modelling approach for flash flood hazard assessment in eastern Makkah city, Saudi Arabia

Flash floods are among the most destructive natural disasters with associated adverse impacts on society and the environment. The present study assesses the adverse impacts of flash floods within the Wadi Mehassar basin on the holy sites (i.e., Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassa) and urban areas, east of Makkah city, which are highly vulnerable to flash floods especially during short duration high intensity rainfall. The difficulty associated with assessing the flash flood hazards in the study area is attributed to the rapid alterations in topography with accelerated urban development and the lack of hydrometric stations to gauge the surface runoff. Thus, in order to achieve the goals of the study, The ArcGIS 10.4, ERDAS Imagine 2015, and the Watershed Modelling System WMS 11.0 were used to process geological and hydrological data and prepare the modelling inputs such as geological, metrological and hydrological groups of the drainage basins under examination. Moreover, a mathematical hydrologic model (HEC-1), was applied to produce the hydrograph curves of the Wadi Mehassar basin, based on the synthetic unit hydrograph of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS-UH). The two-dimensional hydraulic modelling (HEC-RAS 5.0.7) software was employed, to calculate and simulate the water surface elevations, flow velocities, flow depths and spread of the flash flood, in order to develop the hazard rating map of flash flood inundation. The model results identified 44% of total area as liable to flash floods, and out of which 5.4% indicated high risk, 13.3% showed medium risk and the remaining 81.3% area fell under low risk of flash flooding.

The Role of the International Judiciary in Protecting the Holy Places

The protection of the sacred places that constitute the spiritual values of peoples is no less important than the protection of the physical entity of man, because of the attachment of these sanctities as a cultural and civilized entity. There is no doubt that the continuous and significant increase in the violation of the holy sites calls for the need to consider the legal protection of these holy places as an urgent necessity to preserve them. Attacks on holy sites represent a real threat to international peace and security, through the effects of the encroachment or threat to these holy sites, which leads to significant damage caused by armed conflicts, whether internal, regional or international. The legal basis for the protection of the holy places is closely linked to the development of the civilized thought of the international community. What is being reported today in the international community about violence and its escalation is related to the violation of the sacred places that affect the conscience and conscience at its core. The international community should therefore recognize that the more it plays its part properly, the sooner these violations will be put in place the less likely there will be an escalation of violence.

Social Media Discourses Concerning Pope Francis’ Visit to Csíksomlyó/Șumuleu Ciuc

Szeklerland, at the south-easternmost part of historical Transylvania, an ethnic Hungarian enclave in the middle of Romania, lies on the borderline between cultures, on the crossroads of religious denominations where western Christianity meets eastern Orthodox Christianity. Șumuleu Ciuc (Csíksomlyó in Hungarian) is a major historical Roman Catholic – Marian – pilgrimage site of Szeklerland, which has grown into a national holy site of Hungarians from all over the world. This place was included into the official itinerary of Pope Francis’ 2019 visit in Romania. The aim of this article – as part of our interdisciplinary research project titled “Videmus Papam. Social, Economic Aspects of Pope Francis’ 2019 Visit to Șumuleu Ciuc in Szeklerland’s Regional and Wider Contexts” identifying, mapping, describing, and analyzing the socio-religious, socio-demographic, economic-touristic, and media-representation aspects of the papal visit – is to investigate the echoes of the papal visit, with special attention to the personality and the role of Pope Francis, the ethnic identity of Szekler-Hungarians, the significance of the Marian pilgrimage site, the historical importance of the special occasion, the inter-ethnic relations between majority Romanians and minority Hungarians, the role of the church in religious and secular discourses. The investigation focuses, based on key terms, om the public discourses around the papal visit unfolding from the digital media contents, opinions, public comments appearing in social media, but the data obtained from the online questionnaires and interviews performed during the research project offer important insights as well. The texts and auxiliary materials (photos, videos) have been processed through qualitative discourse analysis methods – corroborated with the work and results of the members of the research team.

The Role of E-Management in Improving the Crowd Management from the Perspective of the Employees in the Hajj and Umrah System: دور الإدارة الإلكترونية في تحسين إدارة الحشود من وجهة نظر العاملين في منظومة الحج والعمرة

This descriptive study aimed to identify the role of the e-management at improving the crowd management of the Hajj Operations: e-planning, e-organizing, e-guidance, and e-monitoring) from the perspective of the employees in the Hajj. The study included (n = 250) of the employees in the Hajj and the Rahman guests who responded to the survey. The findings indicated that the practice of e-administration by the employees in the Hajj was high. The electronic crowd monitoring appeared with the highest average of (3.62). The degree of e-administration improvement for the crowd management, was high, with average (4.40). The part of electronic organizing in crowd management was found to be the highest, with an average of (4.43). Moreover, the study showed a statistically significant correlation between the degree of employees' practices of the Hajj, the e-administration, and all the areas of improvement in the crowd managements, at the level of significance (α ≤ 0.01). Finally, the satisfaction level of the Rahman guests about the crowd management was significantly high, with average (4.33). The study suggested increasing the attending of the technical courses for the employees in the Hajj, and providing free internet in the holy sites during the seasons of Hajj. Moreover, the study recommended conducting a study on the application of e-administration in the field of Umrah, and conducting a study on crowd management in the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.

The case of “public congregation vs. COVID-19 PPE pollution”: Evidence, lessons, and recommendations from the annual pilgrimage to the Catholic Holy Site in Mexico City, Mexico

Pollution from personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly face masks, has surfaced in the marine and terrestrial environments globally since the COVID-19 outbreak due to improper disposal practices and inadequate waste management, raising widespread alarm and attention. Our understanding of the prevalence and distribution of PPE in highly populated metropolitan areas is still emerging, and studies focusing specifically on developing countries in Latin America remain sparse. This study attempted to “kill two birds with one stone” by (1) addressing this knowledge gap by analyzing the degree of improper dispensing of PPE in Mexico City (Mexico) and (2) investigating the impact of massive public congregations on PPE contamination during the yearly pilgrimage to the Villa de Guadalupe on December 12th. Our survey findings revealed 731 PPE items within a 6-kilometer radius between December 5 and December 12, 2021, with daily densities ranging from 4.1 × 10−3–13.9 × 10−3 PPE items m−2. Face masks were the most disposed type of PPE (94%), with gloves and face shields accounting for just 6% of the total. The PPE disposal more than doubled as the pilgrim day approached, with an estimated disposal rate ranging from 151.52 to 506.06 items day−1, substantiating the surge in the disposal of used PPE to large public congregations that filled the surroundings during the pilgrimage. The observed average PPE density of 7.8 × 10−3 items m−2 was higher than in the metropolitan environments of Canada, Ghana, and Turkey. To our knowledge, this first study describes information showing the need to pay attention to the major impact of public events and mobility on COVID-19 PPE pollution, as well as emphasizes the necessity for adequate management facilities in improving PPE disposal.

בין הגליל ליהודה: להתהוותה של הגיאוגרפיה הנוצרית הקדושה בשומרון

This article deals with the creation of a Christian "holy geography" in Samaria. Byzantine authorities and Church clergy, among others, embarked upon a long and complex process through which they attempted to Christianize the entire region of Samaria. This included gaining control of holy sites and exerting pressure on the Samaritan population to convert to Christianity. This article demonstrates that most Christian attention was devoted to the Samarian cities of Neapolis and Sebastia. The holy sites in Nablus were related to biblical figures such as Jacob and Joseph, who were viewed as prefiguring Jesus. The central holy site in Sebastia was related to the figure of John the Baptist and, to a lesser extent, other biblical figures such as Obadiah and Elisha. These attempts at Christianization were not successful in the Samarian countryside, and an enduring Christian presence was limited to the urban holy places.

Adaptation of places of worship to secular functions with the use of narrative method as a tool to preserve religious heritage

Sacral objects are an important part of Europe’s religious heritage. For centuries, temples have constituted a key element in the urban morphology; they fit into the urban fabric of European cities and are permanently embedded there. Due to the current laicization of Europe, the adaptation of sacred buildings into secular functions has become a necessity for economic reasons. Their owners, architects, conservators and historians are faced with a dilemma: whether to preserve an object or transform it into another function? Places of worship cannot be considered in solely economic terms due to the identity of the place, its current function and its symbolism. Sacred spaces, apart from their function, structure and form, also have meaning. In holy sites, the symbol becomes a narrative tool. The purpose of a narrative in the cultural context is related to the site, the narrator, the recipient and the time of the narrative. Narrative research into semantic architecture, as one of the means of researching sacred architecture, has potential both in analysis and as a tool to facilitate design processes for the appropriate transformation of sacred buildings to serve secular functions.

From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites over the First Three Centuries, Jordan J.Ryan, T&amp;T Clark, 2021 (ISBN 978‐0‐5676‐7745‐7), xviii + 274 pp., hb £85

From the Passion to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Memories of Jesus in Place, Pilgrimage, and Early Holy Sites over the First Three Centuries, Jordan J.Ryan, T&amp;T Clark, 2021 (ISBN 978‐0‐5676‐7745‐7), xviii + 274 pp., hb £85

Jerusalem in the Alps: The Sacro Monte of Varallo and the Sanctuaries of North-Western Italy by Geoffrey Symcox

Reviewed by: Jerusalem in the Alps: The Sacro Monte of Varallo and the Sanctuaries of North-Western Italy by Geoffrey Symcox Nicholas Dean Brodie Symcox, Geoffrey, Jerusalem in the Alps: The Sacro Monte of Varallo and the Sanctuaries of North-Western Italy (Cursor Mundi, 37), Turnhout, Brepols, 2019; hardback; pp. xii, 310; 7 b/w, 50 colour illustrations; R.R.P. €85.00; ISBN 9782503580579. As its subtitle suggests, this book surveys the history of the Sacro Monte of Varallo and other similar sanctuaries, or hilltop religious complexes, in north-western Italy, nine of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. While this work is a mostly study of the history of the Sacro Monte of Varallo, the sanctuaries of Orta, Crea, Oropa, Ghiffa, Varese, Domodossola, Ossuccio, Belmonte, Graglia, and Arona are described in sequence in a final chapter that relates them to each other and the Varallo exemplar, which, the author argues, inspired a regional wave of sanctuary building. Although some of those other sanctuaries had greater claim to antiquity as sites of religious devotion than Varallo, their early modern reconfigurations were undoubtedly influenced by the Varallo experience. Symcox's argument and method is framed by the work of traveller-scholar Samuel Butler, who in the later nineteenth century promoted the sanctuaries as sites of artistic value rooted in the distinctive social and cultural environment of the north Italian alpine valleys. Ultimately, Symcox affirms the general correctness of Butler's proposition, albeit with some caveats and clarifications. More than an argumentative conceit, however, Symcox's use of Butler serves as an engaging narrative means of addressing the historiography of the sanctuaries in the book's first chapter. Then, in Chapter 2, Symcox offers a detailed treatment of the historical context in which the Varallo project emerged, especially the role of seasonal migratory labour as a regional phenomenon which allowed for the flow of artistic skills and ideas into what might otherwise be dismissed as an economic and cultural backwater. Chapter 3 is focused on the foundation of Varallo's Sacro Monte under the inspiration and initial guidance of the Observant Franciscan Friar Bernadino Caimi, who 'conceived the Sacro Monte as a replica of Jerusalem' (p. 41), a sort of substitute pilgrimage site. The plan was for a hilltop site, modelled on the Holy Sites of Jerusalem, replete with lifelike figures designed to 'appeal directly to the emotions of the onlookers' (p. 59). A monastery was founded beneath the hill, enabling oversight of the sanctuary, but also setting the scene for many of the twists and turns of the complex's later history, where concerns about ownership, income, and authority repeatedly emerge as issues of contention. As Symcox argues, the original conception of the Sacro Monte as a substitute Jerusalem soon gave way to a more narrative conception of the pilgrim experience at this location. As Chapter 4 relates, there were significant developments during the early 1500s in the administration of the Sacro Monte, including the appointment [End Page 170] of fabbricieri. In this context, the artistic influences of Gaudenzio Ferrari and Galeazzo Alessi each came to play significant roles in the site's subsequent history, further shifting the sanctuary experience away from Caimi's originally topographical approach to a more fully emotive, narratively organized, and theologically didactic one. Then, as shown in Chapter 5, this process essentially continued into the seventeenth century, facilitating a growing Marian focus in the eighteenth century that is related in Chapter 6. Meanwhile, as Symcox discusses, there were regular contemporary arguments about the distribution of income derived from pilgrim donations, some shifts in administrative responsibility, and various levels of episcopal intervention and influence, all influenced by wider forces like the Counter-Reformation and the rise of Savoyard absolutism. Not unlike Butler a century and a half earlier, this book is valuable for bringing the scholarship of the Italian alpine sanctuaries to a wider audience in an accessible format. Those interested in the history of emotive spiritualities, and proxy pilgrimage experiences, will find much of value here. Moreover, in demonstrating that the sanctuaries developed through more organic processes than sometimes asserted, Symcox also helps put to rest outdated ideas of the sanctuaries as a Counter-Reformation...

Settling the Unending Legal Battle for the Holy Site in Ayodhya: Revisiting the Ram Janmabhoomi – Babri Masjid Case

Settling the Unending Legal Battle for the Holy Site in Ayodhya: Revisiting the Ram Janmabhoomi – Babri Masjid Case

Early Byzantine ‘Basket’ Capitals in Churches and Monasteries of the Holy Land: Stylistic and Morphological Synthesis

To the best of my knowledge, all Early Byzantine “basket” capitals discovered in the churches and monastery of the Holy Land were included in this article. There are 13 in number, all carved from limestone. Seven of them were found in Jerusalem, including the Holy Sepulchre; five - in the monasteries of the Judean desert, one in the Judean hills and two in Samaria. The majority of these churches/monasteries ranked high in the hierarchy of the Holy Sites, and such type of capitals might be considered luxurious. The geographical distribution of the items let to the assumption that they were locally produced in one of the workshops in Jerusalem or its suburbs, and their subsequent delivery to the other sites via roads. One “basket” capital was discovered in the Golan synagogue in Umm el-Qanatir. it features quite a different tradition as compared to the ecclesiastical. Stylistic analysis of the capitals, their comparison with each other, to the marble and limestone parallels from other regions show a high level of creativity, which implied free artistic experiments with patterns (especially on the calathus rim) and proportions, but still within strict order canons. The earliest local limestone capitals predate the marble capitals from Constantinople and elsewhere.

To Study and Determine the Tourist Satisfaction Index of Bhimashankar Tourist Center in Khed Tahsil, Pune District, Maharashtra

In today's world, the tourism industry is the largest and most well-known economic sector. This popular industry is fast growing in many parts of the world, opening the path for more growth. The purpose of this paper is to find out what aspects influence visitor contentment and loyalty to devotees and visitors at the existing holy location. Thousands of visitors come from all across India to see this spiritual and natural landmark. In order to evaluate visitor satisfaction and identify current facilities and their level of development, field work was organized to collect tourist views, attitudes, and recommendations recorded in well-designed questionnaires, group discussion, and surrounding personal observations during the field survey. Tourists filled 170 questionnaires in total during the field survey. Using visitor responses that were transformed into arithmetical values, the satisfaction ratings of selected facilities were determined. Based on this assessment, tourist satisfaction levels were divided into four categories: unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, and extraordinary. With an average score of 48.07 percent, this location's overall satisfaction level is satisfactory. The average of the Bhimashankar holy site satisfaction index could be useful in future planning and development of this religious tourism attraction.

Not Sharing the Holy Land: Attitudes towards Sacred Space in Papal Crusade Calls, 1095–1234

ABSTRACT This article traces the attitudes expressed in papal crusade calls from 1095–1234 towards shared sacred space in the Holy Land which had a significant impact on thinking in the West and primed crusaders travelling to the East. The papacy’s conception of sacred space was one-dimensional, confrontational, and Eurocentric, promoting the idea of a binary conflict between Christians and Muslims and airbrushed diverse Eastern Christian communities to create a homogenous group. The themes of invasion and occupation of Christian holy sites by Muslims, and Islamic mockery and defilement of them, are staples of the genre, even when the holy places were in Frankish possession. However, through close comparison of the crusade calls, one can also trace subtler shifts in specific elements of the encyclical letters in response to the changing military and political context in the Levant and new devotional trends in the West.

Tourism, heritage and Islam: Fes, a tourism centre and a Tijani centre

Against the backdrop of the revival of networks of the Tijaniyya, a Muslim brotherhood flourishing right across Saharo-Sahelian Africa, religious tourism associated with pilgrim travel to Fes, the brotherhood’s “pole” (centre), sets down particular markers in the Fassi space and simultaneously reinforces other sacred topographies. The rise in religious tourism is particularly noteworthy in major Tijaniyya centres from sub-Saharan Africa to the Maghreb. This tourism is part of the living practice of Islam. It intersects with secular tourist practices directly boosted by the award of UNESCO World Heritage Site status to Fes. Religious tourists and secular tourists seek sacred or institutional heritage on designated routes, but their paths rarely cross. In Fes, tourism management of holy sites is based on segregation as secular tourists, the only group actually referred to as “tourists”, are banned from entering mosques.