For centuries, Jerusalem has been a destination point for many foreigners: pilgrims, tourists, scholars, and missionaries. Their writings help recreate life in Jerusalem in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and explain the need outsiders have felt to be involved in Jerusalem's progress. The published diaries, letters, and books by twenty-eight European and American travelers who visited Jerusalem during the 1800s and early 1900s were examined in this work, to see what attitudes foreigners had towards the natives, the holy sites, their co-religionists, and foreign involvement. Chapter One reveals visitors' general impressions. Chapter Two presents descriptions of the Holy Sites and market of Jerusalem. Chapter Three examines the peoples of Jerusalem. Chapter Four focuses on foreign involvement. The records of these visitors describe their interactions with the city and its people, and their reactions towards both. They also explain why many felt that foreign involvement was essential for Jerusalem's development.