Oullieh, or High Place: On the History of the Russian Site in Silwan

Abstract

This paper explores the history of a little-known plot of land referred to as Hakurat-el-Baider, Oullieh, or High Place, acquired in 1878–1882 by Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin, Head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, in the Arab village of Silwan on the slope of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is now part of Jerusalem. The work is based on published archaeological studies of the site and documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire, as well as previously unpublished materials from the Archive of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem of the Moscow Patriarchate (AREM). A number of significant documents on the history of the site from the AREM Property fund are introduced into scientific circulation. These documents relate to the work in Jerusalem of the outstanding Russian diplomat and orientalist Alexander G. Yakovlev, second dragoman of the Russian Embassy in Constantinople, and later Chief of the Consulate General, as well as Russian Consul General in Jerusalem. The descriptions of the unique archaeological landmark of the Oullieh site, an ancient tomb in which Prof. Alexey Olesnitsky of the Kiev Theological Academy saw the Peristerion (dovecote) mentioned by Josephus in The Jewish War (V.12.2), are analyzed. This paper is the first detailed study of the Russian period in the history of this site. The motives for Archimandrite Antonin’s acquisition of the site are examined. Particular attention is paid to the vicissitudes of its registration as Russian property, demonstrating the complex context of the activities of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Palestine starting from the second half of the 19th century. The key role of Alexander G. Yakovlev in preserving Oullieh for the Mission is revealed, as well as the significance of the information he collected about the site for the subsequent Heads and clergy of the Mission who dealt with property issues. Finally, information about the current state of this property of the Mission is provided.