Culture
Historic Maqdala Bible Appears in Abu Dhabi Listing
Borkena · 2 weeks ago · Read the Full Story on Borkena
AI SUMMARY
An 18th-century illuminated Ethiopian Gospel manuscript looted during the 1868 Battle of Maqdala is currently listed for private sale in Abu Dhabi for €250,000.
- An 18th-century illuminated Ethiopian Gospel manuscript is listed for private sale in Abu Dhabi with an asking price of €250,000.
- The codex was looted during the 1868 Battle of Maqdala and is linked to the royal collection of Emperor Tewodros II.
- Written in Ge'ez on vellum in Gondar between 1730 and 1740, the manuscript contains the complete Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John up to its final 16 verses.
- The artifact features 235 illuminations depicting Gospel narratives, miracles, and the Resurrection.
- Following the defeat of Emperor Tewodros II, British forces acquired the manuscript and gave it to General Robert Napier, after which it passed through various private collections and sales over 158 years.
- Historian Alula Pankhurst noted that UNESCO frameworks do not provide retrospective legal protections for 19th-century colonial looting, limiting legal options to block the sale.
- Heritage experts and advocates are calling for immediate international intervention, diplomatic dialogue, and public pressure to halt the sale and secure the manuscript's return to Ethiopia.
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