The research aimed to shed light on the popular beliefs and rituals associated with the treatment and prevention of diseases, through the sanctuaries of sacred trees in Palestine until the beginning of the twentieth century. It included a mythological foundation for the phenomenon of sacred trees, in terms of their origin, the meanings of their terms, their universality, and their relationship to healing. Then it dealt extensively with the rituals that the Palestinian practiced to get rid of diseases, relying on the spiritual and material strength that those trees provided him with. The research benefited from many Arab and foreign historical sources, most notably the writings of travelers, geographers, and ethnographers contemporary to the period of its subject. It relied on the historical, descriptive and analytical approach. Its results showed that healing with sacred trees is a global phenomenon that has found a place in Palestine, as an extension of the Semitic and Canaanite religious heritage. The healing rituals in the popular subconscious were based on the basis of communicative and sympathetic magic. The most important diseases that prevailed in Palestine in the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century were: female infertility, childhood fever, mental, psychological and skin diseases. In order to treat or prevent them, patients ate the fruits of the sacred trees, drank their infusion, and made ointments and charms from them and from the herbs growing around them. They also tied pieces of cloth to their branches and lit oil lamps for them; in order to achieve the desired goals.

Keywords: Popular beliefs, Palestine, sacred trees, healing.

العنوان

مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث

الناشر

الأمانة العامة لاتحاد الجامعات العربية

بلد الناشر

الأردن

نوع المنشور

Both (Printed and Online)

المجلد

45

السنة

2025

الصفحات

117-128