Documenting the vast number of sacred sites across the world relating to every religion, faith or belief is a task that cannot be undertaken lightly and would, if carried through, result in a book too vast for one person to compose. As a result Norbert C. Brockman has instead chosen to limit his efforts to documenting the shrines, temples, holy places and sacred pilgrimage sites of the major world religions. Thus the 300 plus entries in this volume are a reflection of the important role of place in religious belief.
This second edition, coming 15 years after the first, is a reflection of the importance of the role of scared place in the modern world. Despite, or perhaps as a result of the increasing modernization and industrialization of place, sacred spaces have become more rather than less important to many people. They are a way in which to express a faith, a way in which to celebrate a faith, a fixed “known” in an ever‐changing world. In order to update the first edition and provide something new information on each of the sites has been updated along with information on site‐specific practices. As well as examining the sites and the practices of those people whose pilgrimage takes them to these places, the encyclopedia also contains articles describing the traditions and history associated with each place. Geography, anthropology and religious studies merge in this fascinating volume providing material and resources for teachers, students and pilgrims. Accessible as an e‐book and available also in print, this is a versatile volume of tradition with significance in the modern world.
The articles are supplemented by black and white photography and maps, a glossary of terms, appendices of sites listed by country, faith and interestingly, their ranking in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
For those who may still be unfamiliar with e‐books it is important to note that this is a fully searchable text. On the left‐hand side of the screen the reader will find clickable links to Contents, Preface, Maps and an alphabetical list of contents followed by the Appendices, Glossary and more, exactly as it would appear in a printed volume except that each section is accessible at the click of a mouse. Every page or entry can be printed, cited, emailed or linked too. Text can be made smaller or larger, pages can be bookmarked. For ease of switching between e‐book and printed volume each page is numbered. The content is identical and the advantages of being able to access the book remotely should speak for themselves.
The content can be easily accessed: scan the alphabetical entries listed after clicking on the relevant letter or search using your own terms. I discovered that of the 300 entries there were many that I would not have immediately considered Sacred Places and plenty that I had never heard of. This in itself poses an interesting challenge to the reader, forcing them to broaden their opinion on what constitutes a sacred place and the reasons for that. I learnt, for instance, that the city of Janakpur in Nepal has over 1,000 sacred “ghats” or bathing spaces for pilgrims, as well as that Geneva still observes a fest day every September, this Jeune Genevois being a public holiday in memory of the thousands of French Calvanists martyred in the St Bartholomew Day Massacre of 1572. It is interesting to note that whilst less of a religious day food traditions, including the eating of plum cakes, are still observed. It is this level of detail which marks the encyclopedia out as relevant, important and well researched.
Festivals as well as individual days of worship at specific places are discussed and described in just enough detail to provide an initial insight and a platform from which to continue researching. The reasons for the celebration and remembrance of each place or its associated activities are detailed with both historic and current information in each entry. All this detail makes it plausible to suggest that anyone planning a research trip or religious pilgrimage to one of these places could use this volume as a guide to what to expect and when to go. See also references add an additional layer of detail, allowing the researcher in particular to draw comparisons and look at contrasts between entries and more specifically places.
Some of the more marginal world faiths are covered with as much detail as the major, particularly important as it ensures that bias is not present. Reading about the Qualandar Shrine in Pakistan informed me that the Qualandar are in fact wandering Sufi mystics whom Muslims revere as Holy men. At Kakadu in Australia, I learnt the Ubir escarpment rock faces were first decorated over 40,000 years ago. Whilst today most of the decoration is 2,000 years old it is still used to tell stories to children warning them of the dangers they could face in the wild. Entries such as this, which may appear to be more light‐hearted and less scholarly, give a good balance to the encyclopedia. This balance indicates how well‐researched the material is whilst also ensuring that it is accessible, relevant and interesting to a wide variety of possible readers. It is a volume that I would highly recommend to anyone with an academic or casual interest in the subject.
