A. German aircraft (photo by German squadrons)
B. Baalbek. Temple of the Sun
C. Baalbek. Temple of the Sun
D. Palestinian farmers' village near Gaza
E. Railroad and station overlooking Nablus
F. Jordan River
G. Nebi Musa holiday
Photographic memories from WWI – part 3
Photo album obtained by late archeologist Pesach Bar-Adon contains large number of images of Land of Israel 90 years ago. This week we present a documentation of the first use of airplanes in the country, alongside landscapes from that era. Third story in series
Two weeks ago we began a series of articles on the photo album obtained by archeologist Pesach Bar-Adon (1907-1985) from an unknown source.
The photos, which feature the events of World War I, reveal that the original album owner was the member of a medical staff.
World War I brought along the first use of airplanes and armored vehicles in the battlefields. The first pilots to arrive in the Land of Israel were Frenchmen, including Jules Vedrin who landed in the fields of Mikveh Israel on December 28, 1913, and took off to Cairo.
In this week's images, we can see machines flying over the Land of Israel for the first time and landscapes from across the country.
1. The first who arrived in Jerusalem were the Frenchmen Bounier and Bernier , who flew one plane and landed near the Jerusalem railway station on the last day of 1913. The event was celebrated in Jerusalem, and police were forced to push back the large number of curious people who showed up to observe the miracle.
The other two who attempted to reach Jerusalem were Osman Nuri and Ismail Haki. They left Beirut on March 9, 1914, and landed on the beach near the neighborhood of Menashiya in Jaffa.
In the photo: Pilots Nuri and Ismail are seen with the large crowd that came to greet them. Even Jerusalem's dignitaries arrived in Jaffa for the occasion. Jerusalem Mayor Hussein al-Husseini can be seen on the right, dressed in a black coat and white scarf.
Nuri was killed several days later as the plane attempted to take off near Tel Aviv's old cemetery and crashed into rocks on the beach. They never made it to Jerusalem (from Dov Gavish's book "Man-Made Birds on Our Horizon: First Flights over Palestine").
3. German aircraft with German squadron commander
5. German aircraft over town of Tzemach
10. "The old bridge over the Jordan River"
11. "Orchestra of 505th transport unit, Jerusalem 1917"
13. "The al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem"
• For all trips to the past - click here