Ethiopians at St. Catherine's

9 July 2025

On 9 July 2025, Denis Nosnitsin takes part in the international conference " Once, We Were Here: Traces of Mobility across the Ottoman Empire", 8–10 July 2025, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, with the presentation "Ethiopians at St. Catherine's: insights gained from additional notes in the monastery's Ethiopic collection"

The Ethiopic collection at Sinai has been known for many years, but it was recently revisited and surveyed again by researchers of the project
"Beta maṣāḥǝft: Manuscripts of Ethiopia and Eritrea." This effort resulted in the re cataloging of all Ethiopic manuscripts and fragments. The collection provides first-hand evidence of Ethiopians who travelled to Sinai and stayed there. Five manuscripts from the pre-16th-century period yield around 45 additional notes. The presentation will focus on the results of the analysis of these notes and the information they contain, which can be helpful for reconstructing the historical profiles of at least ten mentioned Ethiopians. The notes range from excerpts of liturgical texts and common commemorative records to rare cases, such as a note recording historical events in Europe or reflecting the emotional condition of a writer suffering in an alien environment, far from his native land. 

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