By Dr. Richard Pankhurst:-
Dabra Damo monastery, which stands north of the road from Adwa to
Adigrat, is one of Ethiopia’s most important historic sites. It was
founded, according to tradition, at the beginning of the sixth century,
by Abuna Za-Mika’el Aragawi, one of the famous Nine Saints. This early
dating is confirmed by the building’s architecture, which is distinctly
Aksumite.
The monastery had a library, thought to have been of considerable
importance. It consisted in 1965, according to Dr. Otto Jaeger, of
“about 50 manuscripts”, though the monks claimed that it “once contained
about 1,000 volumes”. Housed in a traditional-type thatched building,
this library has, as far as we know, never been properly studied,
catalogued, or microfilmed.
This is now no longer possible, because the
building was burnt down
on 19 August of this year, when all the manuscripts, we are informed,
were destroyed. The Church publication Sema’a Ledet for the Ethiopian
month of Hedar, i.e. November – December, states the matter is under
police investigation. People are asking, if it was a case or arson, how
could strangers have reached the monastery, which can only be approached
only by means of a rope ruled by the monks at the summit.
The loss of an historic library, which has survived the centuries up
to our present age of science and technology, is a cause of intense
regret. The fire, and the destruction of doubtless valuable manuscripts,
called for serious inquiry, as to what the country’s unique cultural
heritage.
The fire raises three important issues.
Firstly, the need to establish clear, and unambiguous, responsibility
for historic sites, be it by the Church, the Federal or Regional
Government.
Secondly, the need to take fire hazard seriously. Are sites on
exposed mountains sufficiently protected against lightning by the nearby
tall trees, or should they be fitted with lightning conductors? Can
historic buildings be supplied with sand, earth, or water to extinguish
fire, or ideally, modern-type fire-extinguishers? The latter are
admittedly expensive, but far less valuable than the antiquities under
threat. Should thatched roofs be replaced by corrugated iron? Should
priceless manuscripts be placed in fire-proof containers? Can caretakers
be given instruction in fire prevention and extinction?
Thirdly, what has happened to the Ethiopian manuscript Microfilm
Library, the once much-vaunted E.M.M.L. project, launched by Abuna
Theophilos in April 1971? Why, a quarter of a century later, is it not
actively at work? If the Dabra Damo library had been microfilmed, as it
should have been many years ago, we would at least now have had
photographic record of the books whose loss we mourn. Are lists of the
contents of church and monastic libraries being properly made, as urged
by Ato Abebe Retta four decades ago? If not, why not? If yes, can the
authorities now please supply us with a list of the titles and ages of
manuscripts recently destroyed at Dabra Damo?
Source: http://www.linkethiopia.org
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