My debts of gratitude are great to the myriad scholars who came before me in writing about the fascinating, complicated city of Jerusalem. Although there are too many to mention here, I attempt throughout the book to explain how I understood them and relied on them for my own interpretations to follow. I thank Saint Louis University for its grant support for photographs, travel, and research. I send my appreciation to the staff of the institutions where my research was primarily carried out in Saint Louis, Jerusalem, London, Rome, Naples, Cairo, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Florence. I would like to thank all of my colleagues (especially Linda Safran for her wonderful editing skills) and friends who gave me advice, photographs, and encouragement in the process of my research and writing. Finally, I thank my husband and my family for their unconditional support as I traveled for, researched, and wrote this book.