Oranges and Olives
In his poem, City of Olive Branches, Nizar Qabbani recognizes the religious importance of Jerusalem, its troubled past, and looks to the future with hope. While doing so Qabbani references two fruits that made me curious. He mentions olives multiple times, including in the title of the poem itself, as well as oranges. What are the significance of olives and oranges in Jerusalem? Why feel the need to reference them in the poem?
Olives are critical to society in Jerusalem, both symbolically and literally. Olives are mentioned many times throughout the Bible. When the waters were receding from the Earth, a dove brought Noah an olive branch as a symbol of peace. God refers to Israel as “a green olive tree, beautiful fruit in form”(Jeremiah 11:16), and holy ones are compared to olive trees. Aside from the symbolic significance, olives served as a good food source for the people of Jerusalem, and the olive oil produced from it served as a good fuel source and export for the people of Jerusalem. Today, “Israel produces around 16,000 tons of extra-virgin olive oil”(Admin 6), which fulfills domestic needs and also acts as a money-making export. There are pits scattered across Jerusalem and some are dated to over 6,000 years ago.
Oranges as we know them now did not appear in Jerusalem until the “15th-16th centuries, when Portuguese merchants introduced sweet varieties”(Gur 5). While the orange industry ebbed and flowed greatly, by the eve of WWI, there were “almost 7,500 acres of orange groves in Palestine, of which about a third were in Jewish hands”(Gur 6). The jaffa orange was seen as so flavorful and juicy that at one point, it accounted for 75% of all exports from Palestine. This success resulted in over 100,000 acres of citrus groves and a million tons of jaffa oranges exported. The economic prosperity brought by oranges was celebrated by Israelite society “in countless poems, stories, children's songs, paintings, and films”(Gur 8). Nowadays, tangerines dominate the market, but oranges still remain a large part of the culture and pride of the people of Jerusalem.
While oranges provided more economic benefits than olives, they both are something used by the people of Jerusalem today as a source of pride and identity. So it is no surprise that Nizar Qabbani would label the city of Jerusalem as the “City of olive branches”(Qabbani 31) and be hopeful that “Orange blossoms will flower again”(Qabbani 19).
Olives are critical to society in Jerusalem, both symbolically and literally. Olives are mentioned many times throughout the Bible. When the waters were receding from the Earth, a dove brought Noah an olive branch as a symbol of peace. God refers to Israel as “a green olive tree, beautiful fruit in form”(Jeremiah 11:16), and holy ones are compared to olive trees. Aside from the symbolic significance, olives served as a good food source for the people of Jerusalem, and the olive oil produced from it served as a good fuel source and export for the people of Jerusalem. Today, “Israel produces around 16,000 tons of extra-virgin olive oil”(Admin 6), which fulfills domestic needs and also acts as a money-making export. There are pits scattered across Jerusalem and some are dated to over 6,000 years ago.
Oranges as we know them now did not appear in Jerusalem until the “15th-16th centuries, when Portuguese merchants introduced sweet varieties”(Gur 5). While the orange industry ebbed and flowed greatly, by the eve of WWI, there were “almost 7,500 acres of orange groves in Palestine, of which about a third were in Jewish hands”(Gur 6). The jaffa orange was seen as so flavorful and juicy that at one point, it accounted for 75% of all exports from Palestine. This success resulted in over 100,000 acres of citrus groves and a million tons of jaffa oranges exported. The economic prosperity brought by oranges was celebrated by Israelite society “in countless poems, stories, children's songs, paintings, and films”(Gur 8). Nowadays, tangerines dominate the market, but oranges still remain a large part of the culture and pride of the people of Jerusalem.
While oranges provided more economic benefits than olives, they both are something used by the people of Jerusalem today as a source of pride and identity. So it is no surprise that Nizar Qabbani would label the city of Jerusalem as the “City of olive branches”(Qabbani 31) and be hopeful that “Orange blossoms will flower again”(Qabbani 19).
Citations:
Admin. “Israeli Olives: The Flourishing Olive Oil Industry in Israel.” Israel by Locals, 6 Aug. 2023, israelbylocals.com/israeli-olives/.
Gur, Janna. “History of Jaffa Oranges from Israel.” The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Oranges, 15 Dec. 2020, www.tabletmag.com/sections/food/articles/rise-and-fall-of-israels-oranges.
Photo Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/303570831105365945/
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