Introduction

The fields of religious sciences and archaeology are strongly connected, and the archaeology of religions and rituals is a growing research area. There is no doubt that understanding religions and rituals from past human societies helps us grasp the intangible religious past and developments in contemporary faith, beliefs and practices. Archaeologists study past cultures through material remains. The tangible heritage most commonly associated with the study of religion and spirituality include funerary objects and structures (cemeteries, tombs, mausoleums and necropolises), religious buildings (temples, churches, mosques, shrines and sacred caves), icons and objects of worship, and ritual tools from prehistoric times until today. Many such religious and funerary sites and structures have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List for their universal heritage value and serve as important tourist attractions throughout the world. Examples include the Egyptian Pyramids (eternal resting place of the Pharaohs), the temples of the Acropolis (Greece) and the cultural ceremonial center of Stonehenge (United Kingdom).

This book clearly demonstrates the close and historical correlation between archaeology and tourism. Also, scholarly research for decades has touched upon the relationships between tourism and religion, with increased attention being devoted to these relationships in the mainstream literature in recent years (e.g. Collins-Kreiner & Wall, 2015; Griffin & Raj, 2017; Raj & Griffin, 2015; Ron & Timothy, 2019; Stausberg, 2011; Timothy & Olsen, 2006). As a contribution to this growing research emphasis, this chapter focuses on the intersection between tourism, religion and archaeology. This tripartite connection transcends geographical and sociological emphases and involves economic (e.g. tourism) and political (e.g. national identities) dimensions. This chapter introduces the concept of religion and its intercourse with archaeology and tourism.

An analytical framework to understand the dynamics between religious heritage, devotional practices and religious tourism is defined.