Ethiopians seek to recreate ancient manuscripts to preserve their history.

Did you know?

The converting of Christianity in Ethiopia dates to the fourth-century reign of the Aksumite emperor Ezana. From the days of King Ezana, Ethiopian Christianity had an intimate connection with local ideas about rulership. This is especially true of the Solomonic dynasty (1270-1974). As its name suggests, the family claimed direct descent from the Biblical King Solomon. According to Ethiopian tradition, a southern ruler, the Queen of Sheba, had journeyed to Jerusalem to give gifts to Solomon. The two monarchs conceived a child together, Menelik I, who would become the first emperor of Ethiopia. To this day, Christianity in Ethiopia is the country's largest religion estimating between 63% and 67% of the population.

Despite of a large number of Christians, Church authorities/priests are worried that certain aspect of what sets apart Ethiopian Christianity from the rest of the world, are no longer in use. In an effort to preserve and prevent ancient parchment manuscripts from disappearing, Priests and worshippers in Addis Ababa have been working by hand to replicate centuries-old religious manuscripts and sacred artwork.

In the picture above, Armed with a bamboo ink pen and a steady hand, Ethiopian Orthodox priest Zelalem Mola carefully copies text in the ancient Ge'ez language from a religious book onto a goatskin parchment.