Description

Located in the area of Wadi an-Natrun, southwest of the Nile Delta, Dayr as-Suryan (Arabic for 'Monastery of the Syrians') is rightly considered one of the most important Egyptian monasteries. A site of intensive cultural production and accumulation of a huge patrimony, it has been well known for its large holdings of Syriac, Coptic, and Arabic manuscripts. The Ethiopic collection of Dayr as-Suryan can be considered a good example of Ethiopian-Eritrean manuscript culture 'migrated' abroad, a phenomenon that has thus far not received due attention. The present volume offers for the first time a scientific catalogue of this collection, which includes today twenty-four manuscripts dating between the seventeenth and the twentieth century. The innovative catalogue has emerged within the framework of a project in Digital Humanities, and can be seen as a companion to the Beta masahəft online research environment. The English language catalogue is completed by an inventory in Arabic, a set of indexes, and colour plates.