“This psychotic state is brought on by visits to Jerusalem or the Galilee. It induces a state of religious ecstasy which overcomes the tourists. They feel euphoric at being surrounded by so many holy sites,” explained Dr. Abu Nasser.
There’s something in Jerusalem that makes some 150 tourists a year lose their minds. Some of them think they’re the Messiah or the devil, others feel they must destroy a mosque or a church, and yet others know where the Ark of the Covenant is hiding.
A bizarre mental syndrome that has seen scores of visitors to Jerusalem become convinced they are characters from the Bible is the subject of a major new exhibition in Scotland. Artist Nathan Coley has turned his attention to Jerusalem syndrome, a travel psychosis affecting people hypnotised by the Holy City who start to preach and behave as biblical characters, from King David to John the Baptist, the Virgin Mary and Jesus himself. The syndrome is estimated to affect up to 20 people a year, almost all Christians or Jews. It has provoked heated debates among doctors over what actually turns
The decline of Jerusalem Syndrome raises the question whether the phenomenon ever posed a threat As the new millennium approached, fears arose that Christian doomsday groups and sufferers of the much-vaunted “Jerusalem Syndrome” could spark religiously inspired violence in the city. In October 1999, Jerusalem police detained 21 members of the House of Prayer, an apocalyptic sect led by Brother David, a self-styled prophet from Syracuse, New York. It was the fourth time that year that the authorities cracked down on foreign religious groups for visa violations or threatening public safety. Israel was criticized in the foreign press after deporting