ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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Thomas Willie (Thomas Whaley; 15 December 1765, Ireland - November 2, 1800, England) was a member of the Irish Parliament and was known as a gambler and adventurer. In 1789 he visited the land of Israel and thus became the "Jerusalem Whaley".

His life and his actions.

Youth youth
Thomas (Bak) Will Whaley was the son of Richard Chappell Whaley, with rich estates, a judge and a member of the Irish Parliament, whose ancestors arrived in Ireland in the mid-16th century with Oliver Cromwell and applied it. Thomas Willie was orphaned from his father at the age of four. Upon arriving at the age of 17, he was sent to complete his education in France, from where he was forced to return to his home because of the confusion of gambling. In 1785, at the age of 19, he was elected to the Irish Parliament, but it was not to be converted from his prolific and wasteful lifestyle.

The Journey to Jerusalem
Thomas Willie made a journey to the east in 1788–1789, being 22, following a wild bet. At a modest party at the Duke of Liinstre (now the chair of Ireland) he was asked about his plans for journeys, and in his reply he reminded Jerusalem. The helicopters launched it that would not be able to reach it, and hence the short way to intervene: Willie Haymer for £5,000 to come to Jerusalem and return to Dublin within twelve months and will show evidence to fulfill the mission. Not a few responded to the challenge and invested in their money in the preservation, not just because of stagnations. They thought that Jerusalem was not a national place at all. Many believed that he could complete his journey. The land of Israel in the late 18th century was not yet on the great course of the European upper class, not a destination for cultural and pampering requests, but rather a neglected province in the Ottoman Empire, dangerous for passengers because of disease and robbers. Jerusalem as a destination for a journey was not accidental. He also expressed a desire to sail in the Mediterranean and even purchased a ship to sail in it, but was forced to give up his plans and the ship because of his financial difficulties.

Willie embarked on Medblin in September 1788 with a lending pamphlet and a "great cargo of boiled wine" for a large crowd of crowds collected in the docks on the lifi banks. In Gibraltar, he met in his grave, Will Moore, who would accompany him along the way. The long voyage ended in Samirna, and from there Willie and his people continued to Constantinople on the ground. With the help of the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, appropriate licenses were made for the continuation of the journey, and the small group – Willie, his friend Mor and Ben Lao Armeni, Paolo, who were found in Samirna, ruled the languages of the region and served as a servant – sailed to Israel in January 1789. Their first station in the Land of Israel was there landed on 23 February 1789. His mother went out within a day to Nazareth and from his train to Jerusalem through the Jasssal Valley, Jenin, and held a local guide, suburban drivers and soldiers guard. Passengers wrapped themselves in local clothing in the hope that they would not take the eye. Jerusalem arrived last day of February and did a few days, during which they also visited Bethlehem. Willie sounds to warnings, he did not insist on his plan to descend to the Jordan River and was content with a distance glance at the Dead Sea. The road was given to him because the ship he wanted to return to Europe was to sail, and others were not seen on the horizon. The way back from Jerusalem was a steep blow. In his heart, they had to respond to the invitation of Binlie Ahmad al-Jazzar to his palace, to listen patiently to his boasts and to give him a precious gun. Although he had been pushed in time, he was able to sail to the West to buy an Arab horse and take care of his transfer to England.

Willie's reports on what he saw in his way are based on what he found in other writings, and there is no unique contribution to the study of the country. His visit to the Holy Land should not be defined as a religious criminal act, although he has experienced great excitement